Surrounded by Shadows
by Anime-mistress585
Summary: In the year 3501 F.A, a normal 10year old girl makes the mistake of walking out after dark...10years later, the past comes back to haunt her... BattsKao AU Vampire Fic.
1. Ch1 Crimson Corruption

Welcome to the revamped (no pun intended) version of Surrounded by Shadows. Hopefully it'll have some better grammar and flow easier, so thanks for your patience. Luff ya all, later!

Summary: In the year 3501 F.A, a normal 10-year old girl makes the mistake of walking out after dark…10 years later, the past comes back to haunt her...

10-year-old Kaoru Kamiya turned the corner and began to walk down the street, her sapphire eyes wide with fear as her hands tightened around the hilt of the battered sword at her waist. Flinching at the slightest sound, the little girl began to run, her worn runners smacking against the pavement as tears pooled in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she paused and hesitantly voiced out a small call,

"M-Misao? A-are you there? This isn't funny anymore!" The last words were spoken clearly, the anger behind them evident. As fear of the dark melted away, a burning hot anger took its place. "Misao! Stop it! Aoshi's gonna kill me if mama doesn't first!" A whisper of cloth sounded from behind her and Kaoru spun around, unconsciously moving into a fighting stance, her hands leaving her sword. "Stop it" her words were harsh, "I know you're out there and this is getting to feel like a game of cat and mouse!"

A large shadow darted out of the alley and lunged at the small girl. Eyes narrowing, Kaoru ducked and punched upwards, landing a solid hit in her attackers' stomach. Not pausing for a second she crouched down and did a quick roundhouse kick, tripping the hulking man. As he fell forward Kaoru brought her knee up and smashed her elbow on his back, while his ribs were pressed forcefully against her knee. Delivering one last blow to a very specific part of the male body, Kaoru began running again, heading into the darker areas of the streets, looking for her wayward friend.

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and out of habit, sniffed to clear her stuffed up nose. Her eyes shot open and she hurried took another whiff of the air. Even Kaoru could smell the telltale traces of blood and urine; the stupid man had probably wet himself after getting beaten to a pulp by a 10-year old girl. Pathetic. As the stench of blood grew thicker, Kaoru began biting her lower lip in worry, her fears racing through her mind. If _she_ could smell the blood clearly, _they_ would be able to scent it as well…and then, they would come. Bracing herself, she straightened up and ran back the way she came, heading towards the comforting glow of the lights in front of her house. Hurtling over the groaning figure, she widened her strides as she heard the ominous footsteps echoing behind her.

Taking deep breaths, Kaoru abandoned all attempts to be quiet knowing that the _thing_ behind her had already discovered her presence. Fumbling with the sword at her waist, she bent her head down trying to gain as much speed as she could. A flash of red was all the warning she had before she ran smack dab into someone's chest. Eyes wide she stumbled back and drew the sword, switching into her stance. Amber glowed in the darkness ahead of her and she bit her lip again, drawing a small amount of blood. Quickly the girl ran her tongue over her dry lips, briskly wiping away the single drop of blood.

Its control snapped.

Kaoru lunged forward feeling the shock of her sword colliding with another's. Not pausing a second, Kaoru darted away, keeping to the bright patches of moonlight cast by the eerie full moon. The creature that was chasing her was a creature of the night, trying to hide in the shadows would do nothing more than put her at a disadvantage. The bright lights of home were only meters ahead, and her gaze immediately focused on the small blue square next to the door. Reaching out a hand Kaoru's outstretched fingers grazed the fingerprint scanner, and a small burst of hope bloomed in her chest a small smile gracing her lips. A clawed hand lashed out, and grabbed the back of her shirt, throwing her to the ground and ripping apart her momentary hope of escape. As the hand snapped sharply on the back of her skull, she blinked furiously trying to maintain consciousness. As her azure eyes closed, a sharp pain in the side of her neck was her last conscious feeling before she succumbed to the darkness that she had so vainly tried to evade

10 years later

"KAORU! HURRY UP!" The ever-energetic Misao began pounding on her roommate's door, "WORK! WE HAVE WORK!" Giving an aggravated sigh, the perky- princess of sugar (a.k.a. Misao), opened the door to Kaoru's half of the apartment. Rolling her blue eyes impatiently, the short girl walked into the bedroom, her heels muffled against the navy carpet on the floor. Finding the huge queen-sized bed empty, the girl frowned but grinned when she heard water running. Breezing into the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, Misao's grin grew even wider. Smiling with that evil smirk that meant some torturous thought, Misao walked over to the toilet and 'slipped' her fingers pressing down on the lever, flushing the toilet. If her grin could have gotten any wider, it would have when Kaoru's scream echoed throughout the apartment.

"DAMMIT MISAO! YOU'RE GONNA BE A SQUISHED, DECAPITATED AND THROUGHLY INJURED WEASEL WHEN I GET DONE WITH YOU!" Snickering, Misao merely flushed the toilet again and ran into their shared kitchen as screams of outrage came, yet again, from the bathroom.

Misao continued to grin as she sat down at the table, pouring herself a cup of coffee. The two girls had been friends as long as either of them could remember, and when they had both accepted into collage together, they had gotten an apartment and lived as roommates ever since. The two had been inseparable, pulling pranks, graduating, getting boyfriends (although they DID go on separate dates), and finally getting jobs at the local advertising agency.

Jobs they were going to be late for if Kaoru didn't hurry her butt up Misao thought with an exasperated sigh. Finally she put down her empty cup and strode into the bedroom, the shower still running in the bathroom.

"KAORU KAMIYA! IF YOU DO NOT HURRY YOUR BUTT UP THIS INSTANCE, I WILL...I will...umm...ummmmmmmm..." she trailed off thinking of an adequate threat. At that instance Kaoru stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her lean frame.

"I'm here, give me 5 seconds to get dressed, drink coffee, and go 'k?" Misao glared at her and stalked over to her roommate's sparse wardrobe. Reaching in, the girl brought out the only thing that actually looked clean and presentable. Sweat-dropping comically, Kaoru took the outfit and pushed Misao out. "Coffee or I'll bite your head off" When Kaoru mentioned coffee she was serious. Misao gulped and ran to the machine, pressing the button with a brightly painted nail. Watched as the dark brown liquid poured out, she sighed and tilted her head to the side before commenting dryly,

"You know Kaoru, we should really get a new coffee machine...this ones practically is an antique..."

"It IS an antique Mi, from 2001. I just don't feel like wasting money on a new one when this works perfectly fine." Kaoru had just entered the kitchen, her blue hair up in the everyday high ponytail. Misao walked over and tugged gently on a strand of hair framing her friend's face.

"I don't see why you don't put it up into a braid or something... its so...loose" Kaoru grinned and yanked Misao's own foot long braid.

"'Cause I like my hair loose, now come on...you wanted to go, let's go" Laughing the pair exited the apartment, unaware of the glowing crimson eyes that watched their every movement.


	2. Ch2 Turquoise Tears

Here's the edited (and hopefully better) version of Chapter two, Turquoise Tears

Disclaimer:

Kenshin's hair is red,

Kaoru's eyes are blue,

I own Rurouni Kenshin

And I'm a liar too!

* * *

From Chapter One: Crimson Corruption 

_Kaoru had just entered the kitchen, her blue hair up in the everyday high ponytail. Misao walked over and tugged gently on a strand of hair framing her friend's face._

_"I don't see why you don't put it up into a braid or something... its so...loose" Kaoru grinned and yanked Misao's own foot long braid._

_"'Cause I like my hair loose, now come on...you wanted to go, let's go" Laughing the pair exited the apartment, unaware of the glowing crimson eyes that watched their every movement._

* * *

Kaoru pushed her chair back and stood, wincing as her inactive legs tingled. Stretching, Kaoru yawned, the boredom of sitting at a desk for hours getting to her. Sighing the girl quickly stacked all the papers littered on her desk into a nice neat pile. 'Unlike Misao' she thought lethargically but no matter how much she nagged the younger girl, Misao would never touch the mounds of paperwork covering her desk unless of course...

"MISAO! GET IN HERE!" Misao grinned and popped her head around the doorway.

"Mou! Kaoru whaddya want?"

"Daily reminder to…clean your desk!" Misao grimaced; she shouldn't have stuck her head in and groaned, stomping in and hopping up to sit on Kaoru's desk.

"I don't want to Kao! Besides," she remarked with a grin, "Your desk is clean enough for the both of us!" Kaoru rolled her eyes and wiped her desk down with a rag,

"You know that's because I wouldn't be able to smell anything for weeks if my office was dusty. It's bad enough that we still have to use paint for the ads, but dust is even worse. Being a vampire isn't the best thing in the world, despite the," Misao groaned and chimed along with her,

"Super human strength, delicate senses and obvious good looks." Misao sighed quietly but smirked,

"I don't think that last one applies to you Kao-chan!" Kaoru glared at her and tossed a pencil at the energetic girl's head.

"You're hanging around Megumi too much Mi." Misao laughed and vaulted off Kaoru's desk.

"Yeah, but still, being a vampire is way cooler than being human. You can see auras and run really fast! Plus, you have a special ability!" Kaoru looked at her questioningly,

"I didn't tell you that…how'd you know?" Misao smiled sadly and walked to the door before replying,

"Aoshi…told me…" Kaoru sighed but had no chance to reply before the girl skipped down the hallway, a smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. With a groan, Kaoru threw herself into her chair and buried her face in her hands.

Aoshi had been Misao's best friend since they were little and they had started dating when Misao turned 15 (Aoshi turning 18). The two were inseparable and they were planning to get married when Aoshi disappeared. Aoshi had been a ninja for a powerful businessman, providing a bodyguard service against the underworld monsters: werewolves, vampires and other creatures. Then one day he was gone, right before their wedding. Misao had been heartbroken but refused to believe that he was dead, much to her family's chagrin. They had already planned for her to marry another man. Misao had refused and was disowned, just in time for college and she moved in with Kaoru.

With another sigh, Kaoru rose and followed the path the girl had taken, stopping for a second by the staff room for some cheering up goodies (mainly food with lots of sugar) before going into Misao's office.

Kaoru watched as Misao skipped back into the still messy office. They had just gone out to lunch and the girl was already invigorated with the thought of leaving for the day, her mind safely distracted from Aoshi.

Shaking her head in sympathy, Kaoru sighed and wandered to the bathroom. As she washed her hands, she glanced up to gaze thoughtfully in the mirror. Despite common belief, vampires did have reflections…or at least, a majority did, the ones that were bitten by a vampire with high enough power to give their childe an aura and thus, a reflection. Her stomach rumbled and Kaoru rolled her eyes, infuriated with her high metabolism. Human food did nothing to fill her up, if anything it made her hungrier for a vampire's usual menu, blood.

Looking back at the mirror, her eyes narrowed as her reflection shimmered then disappeared, Kaoru's eyes widened and she reached a hand up to rub her temples in an attempt to ward off the oncoming headache. Her reflection did occasionally disappear but that was only when she was dead tired. No pun intended of course, Kaoru thought with a quick grin. Blinking as her vision blurred, Kaoru shook her head gently.

Work was getting to her that was all…she sighed at her own stupidity and paranoia. She reached out and ripped off a piece of paper towel, drying her hands quickly so she could run back to her nice, dark, office. Suddenly her eyes widened and she froze as her sight shifted from normal colours to strange shapes and auras.

'Nonononononono this can't be happening now! I ate just last week!' Throwing the paper towel to the ground, Kaoru grasped the counter, leaving hand shaped imprints in the metal as her vision blurred again, throwing her thoughts into chaos. It was back. As her sight shifted once more, Kaoru's knees buckled and she dimly felt her head smashing against the porcelain tiles. It was back, even though logically it shouldn't come again for another week and a half, it was back, her hunger. Her strange aura vision was covered by darkness and Kaoru welcomed the relief from her horrendous thoughts...Only to find herself in bloodier nightmares...

Misao scrubbed fruitlessly against the hard oak wood of her desk. Kaoru had vanished again but Misao didn't mind. Kaoru was like that...so predictable yet...so unusual. Sighing the girl scrubbed even harder before realizing something.

"Where's that muffin I saved from the restaurant?" She glared at her desk, wishing for the power to make it spontaneously combust into a fiery wreck. "Kaoru! Gimme back my muffin!"

Misao stomped down the hallway and flung the door to Kaoru's office open, her shoulders slumping when the room proved to be empty. Walking to the worker's lounge, she knocked violently on the door, voicing Kaoru's name. Disgruntled yells and shouts sent Misao into a blush and the girl quickly turned and dashed away. "Ok…so she wasn't in there…but then where is she? She could be anywhere! Maybe she went to visit Megumi, she _did_ look kind of hungry today" Shrugging, the girl turned and skipped back to her office, already forgetting about the muffin.

The dark shadow sighed and lifted his amethyst orbs to gaze thoughtfully at the moon, the amber in his eyes hidden by the violet hue. Casting out his senses the man's lips turn up in the semblance of a smile. Finding nobody he released his other side, the primal animalistic side of him that begged to be released…begged to be fed but was always shoved behind a mask of humanity. Too many people knew of his legend, how his amber eyes gleamed in the darkness that he was a part of…so he used his Ki to change his appearance, the single line across his cheek turning into a cross, his emotions easily seen and the amber in his eyes suppressed by purple. As the amber rose to the surface the man's face took on a colder demeanour, the face of a man who had seen too many people killed to care. As he gently breathed in the air around him he grinned and his pearly white fangs were clearly visible.  
**  
**She was close

Hoisting his bag higher up on his shoulder, he burst into a light run, red hair flying out behind him.

She was close… and he was going to get her.

Running harder, his senses caught whiff of a band of travelers. Smirking, he altered his course and took to the trees, his feet lightly resting on a branch for a moment before taking off again. Pausing on one branch, he gazed down thoughtfully at the caravan of people, traders and merchants by the look of it, selling everyday microchips and common technology. So similar but yet so different, he mused, from the olden days.

Stealthily he climbed down the tree and blended instantly into the shadows of the forest. Quickly and silently, he reached out and shagged a man by the back of his shirt, yanking the drunken traveler into the darkness of the trees before he sank his teeth into the man's neck. Quickly throwing him at a tree, the vampire hissed and spat out the small amount of blood he had taken. It was disgusting. All blood was disgusting to him now, the taste tainted compared to the exquisite tang of one person. His amber eyes glowed and he smirked, the man's blood dripping down his chin and hitting the ground.

Grimacing the amber slowly receded and the purple took over. Scrubbing the blood off his face with one arm, he hauled the man to the edge of the campsite. He wouldn't die or become a vampire like so many thought. He'd merely be unconscious for a couple of days at the most. Slowly the vampire turned and strode off back into the forest, his tongue wiping away the last residues of blood lingering around his mouth.

As silently as he had come, the man disappeared into the vast woods, his blood-coloured hair being last thing to fade into the shadows.

Misao cheerfully walked down the sidewalk, her braid smacking painfully against the back of her knees. Sighing the girl grabbed her hair and flung it over her shoulder. Happy with the results she sped up, hoping to get to the Kitsune Clinic quicker. Reaching the place, she reached out a hand and pressed a finger against the gel-like fingerprint scanner by the door. As her door chimed her name, Misao Makimachi, it slid open and she happily stepped in, eagerly chiming out a greeting,

"HELLO! ANYONE IN HERE?" Misao took a quick look around and started off down one of the many hallways. As she turned the corner she found herself sitting painfully on the ground. "Wha-?" A giant hand reached down and yanked her up by the back of her shirt.

"What do we have here? Weasel?" Misao stiffened and flailed her arms trying to reach far enough to get her tiny hands around his neck.

"Shut up Rooster! My name is not weasel!" His deep bellowing laugh echoed around the corridor,

"I take it you're here to see the Kitsune?" Misao glared at him before kicking him on the shin.

"Lemme go Rooster!" Sanosuke quickly dropped her and clutched at his injured shin.

"That hurt!"

"Serves you right" Before she could stop herself she stuck her tongue out at the fighter. "So there!" Nose held high in the air she continued on, pausing once to flick her braid at him revelling in the painful howl that rose up behind her as the metal clasp securing her hair together slammed against his arm. Giggling she ran off and quickly knocked on Megumi's door, " Megumi? Are you in there?" The door opened and the doctor stepped out, her long brown hair pulled up into a loose bun, various pencils and pens sticking out of it.

"What do you need weasel-girl?" Misao glared at her but burshed the insult off,

"Is Kaoru here?"

"What are you talking about? Tanuki hasn't been here all day" the doctor grinned evilly and Misao could almost see the fox ears adorning her scheming head. "Maybe she met a nice man and is happily ravishing him in a corner somewhere!" Misao blanched at the older woman and shook her head.

"That's just wrong…even for you Megumi…" Megumi pouted and her arms folded over her chest as she looked down at the shorter girl. Knowing the doctor was about to insinuate some thing else, Misao quickly spun on her heel and strode purposefully back down the hallway she had come.

"Thanks fox-lady, I guess that's a no and I have to go check somewhere else…" As she turned the corner, the doctor frowned at the nickname and returned to her office,

"What was wrong with that line? I thought it was good…"


	3. Ch3 Amber Ambitions

Here's the reworked chappie 3, Amber Ambition, have fun and feel free to criticize!

Disclaimer:

Kenshin's hair is red,

That's a fact that's true.

But that I own Rurouni Kenshin,

That's a lie I'm telling you!

* * *

From Chapter 2: Turquoise Tears 

_"What are you talking about? The raccoon girl hasn't been here all day" the doctor grinned evilly and Misao could almost see the fox ears adorning her scheming head. "Maybe she met a nice man and is happily ravishing him in a corner somewhere!" Misao blanched at the older woman and shook her head._

"_That's just wrong…even for you Megumi…" Megumi pouted and her arms folded over her chest as she looked down at the shorter girl. Knowing the doctor was about to insinuate some thing else, Misao quickly spun on her heel and strode purposefully back down the hallway she had come._

"_Thanks fox-lady, I guess that's a no and I have to go check somewhere else…" As she turned the corner, the doctor frowned at the nickname and returned to her office,_

"_What was wrong with that line? I thought it was good…"_

* * *

Misao turned the corner and strode miserably down the hallway. Why did Kaoru have to have the driving license...she couldn't even drive that well! Shaking her head, Misao placed a hand on the bathroom hand scanner. If Kaoru wasn't in here, the girl had probably vanished off the face of the Earth, Misao thought with a smile. As she took a step in Misao noticed the lights were off, casting the room into darkness. Shivering the girl took another step in before recoiling blindly as a warm, almost pulsing object hit her ankle.

Groping around the door, Misao felt the beginning of worry come over her when she realized the automatic lights still hadn't come on. Tripping over her own feet, Misao had an unexpected meeting with the floor. Reaching up as her back hit against solid wall, she managed to flick on the manual lights, the fuzzy glow filling the room. A groan came from the prone figure on the floor and Misao rushed forward when she correctly identified the large lump on the ground was Kaoru.

"K-K-K-KAORU! WAKE UP!" Eerily glowing _slitted_ sapphire eyes opened slowly and Kaoru sat up, running her tongue over her dry lips. Misao took a step back at the creepy look in her friend's eyes but hesitantly reached out a hand. "K-K-Kaoru? A-A-Are you o-o-okay?" Her question was cut short when Kaoru lunged at her with the natural born speed of a wild predator. Violently her teeth ripped into Misao's neck, the girl's eyes widening as she slowly began to loose feeling in her arms and legs, unconscious slowly creeping up on her. "W-Why Kaoru? Why are you doing this?" Kaoru's eyes snapped open from her feeding bliss and her pupils receded back into circles when the other girl's voice slowly prodded at her subconscious. Hurriedly she dropped her arms, watching in horror as Misao fell to the ground.

"Oh god...MISAO!" Shaking her friend gently Kaoru screamed at the ceiling, towards the small speaker in the ceiling, "COMPUTER! USER ID 59084 CALL THE KITSUNE CLINIC NOW!" An audible dial tone filled the room and a feminine voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Megumi, it's Kaoru...Misao...I bit her!"

"What!" Horror was plainly evident in the doctor's voice, even over the phone. The line went dead, and Kaoru nearly burst into tears at the ominous buzzing.

"Dammit! Why did my hunger suddenly come back?" The door slid open and Megumi ran in, immediately bending down to check Misao's pulse.

"She's fine Kaoru...she'll live…hopefully without any consequences." The doctor gave Kaoru a knowing look, "I'll take her to the clinic...she'll probably need a slight blood transfusion and maybe some rest in the clinic." Kaoru nodded not trusting her voice to speak as Megumi took out a small palm pilot and pressed a button. Moments later a small stretcher rolled into the room, guided by a small transmitter attached to the wheels. Nodding briskly to Kaoru, Megumi walked out of the bathroom, one hand carefully guiding the moving stretcher to the elevator.

Swaying slightly, Kaoru walked outside and blinked at the bright light. It was around 4 in the evening and the sun had yet to go down in the warm summer nights. Blinking back tears, she limply walked down the street before collapsing into a boneless pile on the sidewalk. Tears danced in her eyes but she forcefully pushed them back. Her concentration so focused on the emotional struggle, Kaoru completely missed the presence of another until a hand clapped over her mouth. Struggling uselessly against the arms wrapped around her waist and shoulders, her eyes widened as the aura sight appeared over her normal sight again.

She had to feed, she had to feel the smooth liquid flowing down her throat, she needed to eat and sedate the great hunger that Misao had only slightly diminished. As her fangs elongated her mouth opened and she bit down on the hand covering her mouth, the sharp incisors cutting through the skin like a knife through butter. A sharp intake behind her informed her that her attacker was not suspecting such a move. As she gently lapped at the bite marks, the other unknown hand pushed her hair off her neck. Swallowing the small amount of blood she had received, she paused briefly wondering what her captor was doing. Fangs piercing her flesh made her gasp and, turning slightly, she caught a fleeting glance at her vampire assailant. Starting at the familiar crimson hair, she stiffened and reached up to tangle her fingers to the red strands, tugging violently.

"Let go of me!" The fangs retreated and the vampire released her, watching as Kaoru flicked her hair back over her shoulder, covering the red bite mark. "You" she spoke the word with such hatred and disgust, that the man had to smile.

"Yes, it's me. So...How are you, my little vampire princess?" Kaoru's eyes narrowed and she took a step back. The next two syllables that came from her mouth made the man burst into laughter.

"Screw you"

Silence reigned over the two as the vampire in front of her gazed at her tense form, a smirk dancing on his lips. Moments passed before Kaoru realized that the aura sight that should have been taking over had not yet returned. Frowning slightly, she glared at the vampire,

'What did you do?"

"I only took away your hunger," The evil countenance was gone, replaced by an innocent amethyst-eyed expression, "That I did." Cobalt orbs narrowed in distrust,

"What do you mean? 'Took away my hunger'" The vampire smiled showing his gleaming white fangs and his eyes shifted back into the amber colour.

"I did just that. I took it away from you. I _am_ your creator, am I not?" Kaoru tensed as the golden orbs locked onto her own stubborn blue ones. Giving a very un-lady-like snort, Kaoru spun tossing her hair at the scarlet-haired man.

"Whatever... I'm going" Amber eyes narrowed and before Kaoru realized what had happened, his fangs had re-pierced her slender neck. Her eyes slowly slid halfway shut in a trance of pure pleasure as she felt the warming feel of the vampire's aura enveloping her own. Wobbling precariously on knees that threatened to collapse, Kaoru found she was slowly falling under the vampire's spell, her blood supply quickly draining. Regaining some vigour in her legs, she straightened and reached behind her until her groping fingers found the thick strands of hair. One hand tangled in the red mane, the other reaching down, quickly finding his neck before crushing her thumb into his windpipe. Annoyed, he drew back, releasing her neck from his fangs,

"What are you doing, Kaoru-koi?" Ignoring the anger present in the voice, Kaoru yanked the captive hair, snapping his head back before kicking him and running down the street. Letting her fangs come out after years of training them NOT to _was_ difficult, Kaoru thought with a sigh. Finally the sharp teeth appeared and her speed increased, the wind caressing her midnight blue hair. Reaching out, she slammed her hand on the scanner and watched as the doors opened and shut behind her. Looking into the dark alleyway that the vampire had come out of, Kaoru shivered and turned to quietly walk upstairs, willing her vampire traits to hide again.

The fact he was back stunned her enough but the way he had seemed to want to sink his teeth into her neck was even more shocking. It was almost like he needed **her** blood, Kaoru thought shaking her head. It was ridiculous. What would the vampire king need with her blood? Slamming her office door open, her fury grew and she pounded a fist into the undeserving wall, watching it cave in around her tiny fist. If only she could smash the bastard's face in like that. Glaring at the hole in the wall Kaoru stalked into her office.

Battousai...Battousai the Bastard

It seemed to work


	4. Ch4 Ruby Reminiscing

Hey, here's the reworked and edited version of Chapter 4, enjoy and always feel free to leave comments about what I should do or any mistakes I have (my punctuation sucks :P) Thnx!

Disclaimer:

Kenshin's hair is red,

Battousai's is too,

I own Rurouni Kenshin,

Can you tell I'm lying to you?

* * *

From Last Chapter: Amber Ambition

_It was ridiculous. What would the vampire king need with her blood? Slamming her office door open, her fury grew and she pounded a fist into the undeserving wall, watching it cave in around her tiny fist. If only she could smash the bastard's face in like that. Glaring at the hole in the wall Kaoru stalked into her office. _

Battousai...Battousai the Bastard

_It seemed to work

* * *

_

Megumi watched Misao's chest rise and fall beneath the glass case. She wouldn't wake up. No matter what she had tried, the girl had yet to wake up under the careful doctor's administrations. She was stuck in a coma until someone managed to find the proper blood. Even with technology they had now some things could never be made, synthetic blood included. Megumi's pale fist smashed down on the metal table and she took a deep breath as she regained her calm composure. Walking out of the room, she voiced a command to the room,

"Lights off. Maintain current dosage. Alert if change in stats." The room beeped in response and Megumi sighed, casting a final glance at the encased body of the comatose girl. Shaking her head sadly, she quietly shut the door and strode down the hallway, leaving the quietly humming machinery behind.

At the same time, in a dark alleyway right outside the clinic, a broad shadow crossed the dimly lit streets. Sliding an old fashioned crowbar under one of the windows, the silhouette forced the glass shutter open, ignoring the squeal of metal. Slipping in with a grace that belied its size, the shadow quickly strode down the hall in long open strides, purpose in every movement.

Reaching the door that lead to Misao's room, the shadow froze, crystal blue eyes narrowing when it recognized the aura inside. Raising a hand, the man punched the scanner watching as the door slid open in response to the now shattered keypad. Walking towards the glass case, the figure was reminded of an old fairytale that hadn't been told in centuries.

'_Well...time to wake up the sleeping beauty.'_ With incredible force (and uncharacteristic sarcasm) he brought the crowbar down, spider web fine cracks appearing on the glassy cover. Bringing the metal rod down again, the shadow watched smugly as the case shattered the synthesized glass fragments falling onto the ground.

Immediately, the computer in the room buzzed and a small red light flashed in warning as it informed the main desk but was largely ignored by the shadow that was leaning over Misao's unmoving form.

Seeing the still figure lying there motionless caused the stranger to shake his head in anger, his fist tightening around the crowbar until it began to bend in his grip. Leaning over he pressed a swift kiss to Misao's lips, revelling in the long missed taste. Lifting his head, he reached down and picked up a small fragment of the glass that littered the floor. Taking the shard of glass he had just broken, he cut a light scratch over the vein in his wrist, watching as the red liquid welled up along the scratch. Opening her mouth with his other hand, he let the drops fall in, making sure she swallowed. After a few minutes of repeating the process, Misao groaned quietly, her face scrunching up at the coppery taste filling her mouth. Calmly, the shadow drew back and his tongue darted out to lap at the wound, his gaze remaining on the girl lying before him as the cut immediately sealed. Leaning over to give the startled girl another kiss, a quiet murmur filled the room, stark against the silence,

"You said you'd wait for me" Misao's eyes shot open and she looked around hurriedly.

"A-A-Aoshi?" The wind brushed a gentle kiss over her cheek, sending the strands of her unbound hair over her face. Her shoulders slumped and she gazed through the open window to stare silently at the moon, wistfulness in her eyes. "Why…why did you leave me? You said you loved me..."

Outside the window Aoshi heard the whispered question and let his bangs fall in front of his eyes, uncharacteristic despair colouring his unvoiced thoughts.

'_Because I had to…'_

The usually cold and emotionless man walked away silently, the wind making his white trench coat dance in the wind.

'_Because I love you...'_

Kaoru glared at the hole in the wall, the gaping crack seemed to mock her, reminding her of 'that stupid retarded freak' Making sure her vocabulary was maintaining a PG rating was hard, very hard. In fact all she wanted to do was punch that bastard's face in. Taking in a deep breath, she released it with a whoosh of air, her shoulders slumping in exhaustion. She didn't need this, not now, not ever. Finally calming down, the blue-haired beauty pressed a neatly filed finger against a small blue square on the oak desk. A small line of light ran down the square, scanning her finger before a flickering screen appeared in the air in front of her. Using the holographic keyboard, she scrolled down the page and hit the mouse pad a few times before typing rapidly, her fingers flying across the sensory keys. Finally happy with the contents of her email she hit the send button before shutting the computer down with a flick of her wrist, another sigh escaping her lips.

Bending over to pick up her bag, she stiffened as arms slithered around her waist and a slow mocking drawl echoed though out the room.

"That poor wall...what were you thinking about? Me?"

"Don't flatter yourself moron" Straightening up she spun in his grasp and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"How have you been Sano?" Releasing her waist, Sanosuke took a step back.

"Fine Jou-chan, you seem uptight...what's wrong?" Laying a brotherly hand on her shoulder he gently pushed her towards the door.

"Nothing…nothing" At Kaoru's reply Sano grinned, toothpick hanging out of his mouth and looked back at the mangled wall.

"Nothing eh? Then how come the wall is more beat up than I am after I call you a raccoon?" Kaoru growled.

"Two things first, a) don't call me a raccoon because I am NOT a rodent and b) if you don't get your grubby hand OFF my purse I'll seriously hurt you" Sano grinned sheepishly and handed back the credits he had tried to snag.

"Fine Jou-chan, no need to get violent! Now tell me what happened"

"HE came" Sano looked puzzled.

"Who's he?" Kaoru growled and began tearing up a piece of nearby paper before she replied.

"HE is Battousai" Sano's eyes widened and he spun her around.

"Ya mean the guy who..." he trailed off a gestured at her neck.

"Yeah, he did it again too" At Kaoru's response Sano shook his head.

"How you managed to get bitten by the head honcho of our little world is beyond me, but where was he? At your house?" Kaoru shook her head negatively and gestured to the glass doors.

"He's out there, or WAS out there last time I checked" Sano nodded and slung an arm around the younger girl.

"It's ok Jou-chan, I'll walk you home" Kaoru cast him a side long glare

"And eat all my food right?" Sano whistled cheerfully ignoring the question. As Kaoru walked out in front of him he grinned and muttered under his breath.

"Not ALL of it..."

A pair of glowing eyes gazed down on the two figures as they left the building. How that stupid lowlife of a vampire had managed to get into her building was curious. He, her maker, her creator, and the bloody KING of the Underworld been denied access no matter how hard he pounded on the glass doors that should have shattered under his fists long ago, no matter what he did he couldn't get in. But the moment he left...that stupid idiot of a vampire strolled in as happy as could be.

Disgusted with his obvious obsession over one tiny obstacle in the way between him and Kaoru, he shook his head, amber eyes narrowing angrily. She was his. He made her what she was today, even if she didn't like it. She was his, he knew it…and she was going to know it too.

Jumping swiftly down the fire escape stairs, Battousai stirred up the memory of the feel of her blood sliding down his throat. It was different, more...sensual than any other vampire or mortal he had bitten. The power contained in each drop was immense. Nowhere near his own of course, but the closest he had ever tasted. The raw energy swirling in each blood cell put him a near trance until his own immeasurable Ki overwhelmed it and absorbed it into his aura

Eyes glowing predatorily, he jumped lightly off the last step onto the pavement. Dodging around the parked cars, his shadow disappeared into the darkness of the abandoned street, a slight flash of crimson shining darkness the only sign he had even been there. His eyes flashed in the brief glow cast by the only light on in the middle of the deserted road. She was his…and very soon…he was going to prove it.

Kaoru slammed the door to her and Misao's apartment loudly, ignoring the sleepy cries from some of their neighbours. Turning away from the door, she nearly tripped over a pair of shoes haphazardly tossed in the middle of the entrance. A depressed sigh forced its way from between her lips and she slowly trudged into the living room. She had gotten home fine, Sano strolling by her side.

Sanosuke was another vampire, she'd met him shortly after what vampires dubbed as her 'creation'. She could remember her lovely little affair with startling detail...after she had been bitten she'd found herself in a dark alley...

Flashback

_Kaoru sat up groggily, rubbing her pounding head. Looking around at her surroundings fear welled up in her stomach. She wasn't in her room; instead she was in a dark alley in the middle of the city somewhere. Tears forced their way out of closed eyelids and rolled down her cheeks. Raising her hand to the right side of her neck, her eyes shot open at the feel of smooth, unblemished skin, maybe, just maybe? Standing up on wobbly legs, Kaoru walked out to the dimly lit street. _

_Wandering lost down the abandoned road; she looked for any recognizable landmark. Ignoring the sudden itch that had sprung up on her neck she continued on. The itch persisted until Kaoru finally reached a dirty hand to scratch it. As the irritation still grew she frowned and gently felt her neck. Two marks, feeling remarkably like mosquito bites, were on the left side of her neck. Although she couldn't see the marks, there was still no mistaking what there were. _

_Sobbing she collapsed on the ground, tears pouring out of her eyes. She was stupid! Why hadn't she checked all of her neck? To feel one side...it'd been a stupid mistake, a mistake that had given her hope and then brutally tore it away like the vampire had done to her humanity. Still sobbing silently she managed to get her feet and stumbled down the street._

_Turning a corner she found herself in another alley. Tears running down her face she unsteadily walked down the darkened path. Nearing the (hopeful) end she stepped up her pace. Running full tilt to the end, she rammed right into someone. Barrelling them over, she stumbled and tripped, her body skidding a few meters across the rough pavement before hitting up against a brick wall._

_"Oi! What was that about!" Getting no response, the boy brushed himself off and walked over to the limp form. "Eh?" Seeing the tears, he backed up quickly and landed with a soft thump on the pavement. "W-why are you crying!" Hauling himself to his feet, he strolled over and crouched by Kaoru. "Eh? Oi Jou-chan what's with the waterworks?" Finally sitting up, Kaoru hastily rubbed a muddied hand over her eyes._

_"N-n-nothing! Leave me alone!" Flinging out her hand she tried vainly to push him back. Still sitting firmly, he stood up and hauled her along with him. She glared at him and scratched furiously at her neck. Ignoring her death glare, the brown haired boy yanked her hand away and nodded knowingly,_

_"So that's how it is...the itch will go away in a couple of days." Chomping on a fishbone he had found somewhere he slung an arm over her shoulders. "Now, when were ya bit?" Sniffling Kaoru meekly replied,_

_"Just this night I think..." Looking up at him she frowned, "My name's Kaoru what's yours?" The boy gave a hearty laugh and gave her a small brotherly pat on the head. Laughing at her sounds of protest, he answered her,_

_"Name's Sagara, Sagara Sanosuke. Call me Sano" He stopped the torture on her head and she glared at him, her death glare returned in full intensity._

_"Mou! That hurt!" Laughing even louder, he playfully punched her arm._

_"Come on Jou-chan, lets find the guy who bit ya" She looked at him amazed,_

_"You can do that?" Sano nodded and tightened his grip around her shoulders. _

_"I'll tell ya everything..." gazing down at her, his grin grew wider. "You remind me of a raccoon with those mud smears around your eyes!" Kaoru huffed and tried to scrub at her eyes with her the sleeve of her shirt. Laughing as she spread the mud around even more, Sano grinned down at her and yanked out a small handkerchief from his pocket. "Here ya go, tanuki-chan!"_

_"Don't call me that!" Guffawing loudly he lead her down another alleyway,_

End Flashback

Shaking her head, she tossed her keys into a small ceramic bowl sitting on the mantle of the old fireplace. Her entire apartment was filled with old things from as far back as 2001. Antiques littered every spare inch of table space and all of the shelves had priceless artefacts sitting on them. Quickly walking past (and partially on) an old electric lamp, she made her way to her bedroom door. Shuffling quietly in the dark room, she heaved a sigh of relief at the dimly lit bedroom.

She was home, it was her own personal haven away from all the terrors that plagued the normal vampire, and it was her sanctuary. And coincidentally, Sano was the only vampire allowed into her humble abode. After realizing that people would try and kill her now that she was undead, she had done some valuable research and found an old spell vampires used to bind their prisoners to a room or selected area. She modified it a little bit to only allow certain people, mortal or otherwise, into her home. There were at least 5 people too many, wanting to cut off her head for being Battousai's spawn but in her opinion they were all crazy for thinking that killing her would bring him out but still, even she didn't want her head hacked off.

Speaking of her head...she sure hadn't been using it earlier. Kaoru gave a sigh and threw her purse on the leather couch before sinking gratefully onto her own bed in the other room. Staring up at the black ceiling, Kaoru reviewed the day's events in her head, wincing as she moved on through the day.

1. She had bitten (and nearly KILLED) her best friend

2. The lovely reigning lord of all the vampires had decided to stop by for a visit

3. The said lovely lord had an abrupt decision to suddenly eat buffet, a Kaoru buffet

4. And she had punched her poor unsuspecting wall...

Death was great.

Kaoru heaved another sigh and pushed herself up from her pillowly shelter. Yawning, she stretched and lethargically began pulling her shirt over her head. Soon she was only clad in her underwear, and she began walking towards the bathroom, before remembering she had forgotten her favourite shampoo in Misao's bathroom. Growling impatiently, she trudged out of her room and darted across the living room, slipping slightly on the hardwood floor. Kaoru made it halfway across the spacious living room before freezing as the hairs on her neck rose, a sure sign someone was watching her.

"If somebody is watching me…come here and face me or else…" Kaoru let the threat trail off and crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the fact she was only clad in her underwear. When nothing replied to her threat, she snorted in disbelief at some vampire's audacity to spy on her through her windows and continued on her trek to Misao's bathroom.

Quickly slamming the Misao's bedroom door shut behind her, she strode into the bathroom, deciding to use Misao's shower instead of travelling back across the living room. With a calming breath, Kaoru quickly yanked off the last of her clothes and stepped in the shower, intent on having a nice relaxing shower with no stupid vampire lords looming over her shoulder.

In fact, he WAS looming over her shoulder. She just didn't see him. Invisibility spells came in handy sometimes, Battousai thought with a barely concealed smirk, very handy he decided as his gaze raked the vampire in front of him. She was perfect, except for the bite mark on her neck but since it was his...it could be excused.

He had watched her all evening, the office barrier hadn't broken to his amazement, but the one she had around her house was laughable. To him at least, most vampires would have been killed instantly if they had so much as touched the door handle but he was much stronger then any normal vampire. As soon as he had broken the spell, he had stepped in and silently shut the door. She had thrown her bag on the couch and then stalked off, somewhat despondently towards what he assumed to be her room.

And then the fun started. After a few moments of just looking at her unwaveringly, she had gotten up to perform the task he fantasized about so many times before. She had slowly stripped, taunting him with every small piece of pale skin she had revealed –abet unknowingly- to his golden gaze.

The she had stalked off towards the other part of the apartment, muttering about weasels that stole shampoo. He had still been in the midst of reminiscing about the small strip show he had been privy to, and had stupidly walked into, as mortals sometimes referred to them as, Kaoru's personal bubble. Vampires had an immaculate sense of anyone in their aura, hidden or not and he had just triggered about very defence a vampire could have. She had stiffened and then muttered something about stupid vampires that had the impudence to stare at a barely clothed lady through her living room windows.

Thanking whatever powers out there for the fact that young vampires –did- occasionally spy on Kaoru (even though they WOULD die later) he continued following her into the bathroom. When she had gotten in the shower his control nearly slipped but he managed to stare calmly at her body.

A sudden smash of glass shattering jerked him out of his current fantasy and he stared at the door, golden eyes narrowing angrily. Kaoru had heard it as well and she quickly got out of the shower and hurriedly dried herself off before grabbing the only clothes available. After she was fully dressed in one of Misao's outfits consisting of a t-shirt and a pair of shorts (having sworn at the tight fit and the fact that Misao only came up to her shoulder), she strode quietly into the living room, feet padding noiselessly on the carpet, fangs elongating with every step.

Behind her, Battousai was in a similar state, although somewhat more appropriately attired. Darting ahead of Kaoru, he walked quickly into the living room and shed his invisibility ready for any sudden attacks. Sensing sudden movement, he spun just in time to grasp Kaoru's fist that had been heading towards his head and hold her tight against his taunt form. The captive girl struggled and managed to tilt her head far back enough to glare furiously at him.

"What the hell are you doing here! Get out of my-mmmph!" The last part of her statement was forcefully cut off by Battousai's hand closing painfully over her mouth.

"Quiet koi, there is someone here" Kaoru stilled and cast her senses to 'feel' throughout the house. Her eyes suddenly widened with fear as she was painfully ripped from the Battousai's grasp and thrown on the floor.

Gazing up, she saw the two blades clashed together, and the glinting red eyes staring directly at her. Meeting the intruders gaze squarely, Kaoru watched as the stranger's gaze dropped from her eyes to her neck.

"So Battousai, she is the one you claimed... be warned, spawn" he glared at Kaoru, "I will get you, torture you, and kill you"


	5. Ch5 Cobalt Control

Here's the long awaited chapter 5: Cobalt Control

Disclaimer:

I'm running out rhymes,

Can you tell?

I'll own Rurouni Kenshin

The second Watakashi will sell.

* * *

Excerpt From Chapter 4: Ruby Reminiscing

_"What the hell are you doing here? Get out of my-mmmph!" The last part of her statement was forcefully cut off by Battousai's hand closing painfully over her mouth._

_"Quiet koi, there is someone here" Kaoru stilled and cast her senses to 'feel' throughout the house. Her eyes suddenly widened with fear as she was painfully ripped from the Battousai's grasp and thrown on the floor._

_Gazing up, she saw the two blades clashed together, and the glinting red eyes staring directly at her. Meeting the intruder's gaze squarely, Kaoru watched as the stranger's gaze dropped from her eyes to her neck._

_"So Battousai, she is the one you claimed... be warned, spawn" he glared at Kaoru, "I will get you, torture you, and kill you"

* * *

_

Kaoru frowned and got to her feet, invoking her power over her household to freeze the occupants.

"You guys are on MY turf! So I have dominance and a right to kill either of you!" The stranger sneered at her and tried to wiggle free of her spell. Battousai blinked calmly at her and tensed his muscle, violently jerking from Kaoru's mental hold. Striding over to the frozen vampire, he took his blade and inserted the tip into the immobilized vampire's arm, ignoring Kaoru's furious cries.

Bringing the blood soaked tip to his mouth, he ran his tongue over the blade, wiping it clean as he tasted the blood.

"You were changed, who is your master?" The vampire hissed at the swordsman and focused back onto Kaoru.

"Take your curse off me spawn!" Kaoru glared at him and waved her hand, drawing the vampire closer. Closing her eyes for a prolonged blink, she reopened the sapphire orbs and gazed directly into the ruby gaze.

"Who are you?" Her voice held a melodic quality to it and the vampire quickly succumbed to her hypnosis.

"Derek…" Kaoru smirked but continued with her interrogation,

"I like that name…" she traced her finger across his chest, drawing nonsensical patterns against his shirt. "Derek…it just rolls off your tongue doesn't it?" Derek nodded and Kaoru released him from his immobilization, smirking when he still didn't move. "I have a question for you…Derek…" the vampire nodded again and Kaoru pressed her body against his, ignoring Battousai's hissed warning. "Who is your master? I just have to know who made you such a…delectable creature…" Derek smiled goofily and slung his arm over her shoulders before answering,

"Her name's Yumi…but she isn't anywhere as pretty as you! What's your name again?" Kaoru giggled coyly and began to run her fingers up and down his chest,

"You don't need to know that Derek! But I have another question…" at his nod she continued, "Where is Yumi right now? Where did she come from?" Derek frowned,

"Why do you need to know that?" Kaoru laughed again and wrapped her arms around his neck, getting him to meet her gaze again,

"I'm just curious, Derek. Like a cat…meow!" Derek smiled at her and nodded,

"You're a cute kitty…Yumi-sama said she'd wait for me in a bar downtown, shadow realm…I don't know where she's from, but she said she was made…just like me!" Kaoru laughed and snuggled up to the boy even more, shooting a discrete glance at Battousai, mouthing if he had any questions. Battousai glared but nodded and Kaoru pulled back, looking at Derek in the eyes.

"Derek…honey," she ignored the dopey grin that appeared on his face, "I have a friend…he's really funny and nice…he has some questions too! We just want to know so much about you!" She brushed her nose against his neck, her fingers tracing his abs before he nodded. Gesturing towards Battousai, he nodded and took a step forward.

"Who made Yumi?" Derek shrugged,

"Don't know…she didn't tell me"

"Why does Yumi want Ka-" Kaoru furiously shook her head and he changed the name, "Yumi want Kitty dead?" Kaoru nearly groaned but looked up at Derek again, silently nudging him to answer the question.

"It's probably 'cause Kitty is so much prettier!" Kaoru giggled on cue and gently slapped his chest,

"There's got to be another reason silly! Who'd wanna kill something this cute?" Kaoru pouted but smiled when Derek laughed at her antics,

"Yeah, said something about blood and Battousai!" The second the last syllable left his mouth, Derek's eyes shot open and he looked out in confusion. "What? What am I doing here?" He gazed down at Kaoru and violently shoved her away. Kaoru cursed and quickly rolled out of the way as Derek lunged at her. Immediately, a sword was lodged in his chest and Derek had a few seconds to gasp for breath before his body collapsed into a pile of dust. Swearing, Kaoru got to her feet, wiping off a rather deep cut where Derek's claws had caught her arm.

"You know this is your fault right?" Battousai looked at her calmly,

"I wasn't aware, how is it MY fault?" Kaoru glared at him, and gestured to the pile of ash lying on the hardwood floor before sitting down with a heavy thump on the leather couch.

"He was after me because of YOU. He was broken out of my trance because of YOUR NAME. He cut me because he was out of my trance because of YOU. He's making a mess because of YOU." Hissing in anger, she ignored him in favour of her injury, lowering her head to lap at the blood. A stern hand grabbed the back of her head, fingers digging into the damp strands as he pulled her mouth away from her cut.

"What are you doing? I need to clean my cut!" Battousai ignored her and sat beside her on the couch, bringing her arm up to his mouth.

"It's my fault, as you so adamantly stated, so I have to make amends." Kaoru glared at him,

"You just want to suck my blood" he shrugged, and with a quick,

"That too," fastened his lips on her arm, his tongue running languidly over the wound. Within seconds the cut was closed, but he refused to remove his mouth from her arm, instead traveling up her arm to her shoulder and his bite marks. Instinctively, his fangs lengthened and he sank the sharp canines into her neck, ecstasy overcoming him when as her blood ran down his throat. A sharp pain in his arm shocked him back to reality and he reluctantly disengaged his teeth to figure out what had happened.

Golden eyes widened when he saw the girl beside him with her own fangs buried in his forearm. Slowly, the pain disappeared to be replaced by the lethargic pleasure of a vampire's kiss and he smirked, replacing his fangs in her neck to return the favour as he dragged her into his lap.

Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours under the vampire's spell and finally, Kaoru removed her fangs from his arm, her tongue whipping out to lick the excess blood off his arm and her lips. Rolling her eyes when she realized he was still feeding, she reached back and tugged his head away from her neck. A smirk was on his lips and Kaoru bit her lip at the sight of the blood on his cheek. Still woozy from the 'kiss', she leant up and gently pressed her lips to his cheek, her tongue lapping up the blood.

Battousai watched her out of the corner of his eye, ignoring how much he liked the feel of her lips against his cheek. After a second, she sat back down and curled up like a kitten against his chest. Knowing that she was still hung-over from the feeding, he gathered her up in his arms and stood up, cradling her against his chest. Just as he was about to walk into her bedroom, the main door opened and another girl entered, one hand rubbing her neck.

"Kao, I'm home…Megumi let me out but I swear I saw Aoshi…" she trailed off when her gaze fell on the man holding her best friend. Switching into her fighting stance, her fingers fell on the kunai she carried after dark.

"Who are you?" Battousai looked at her and snorted lightly, blatantly ignoring her question.

"So you're the one Aoshi claimed." Misao's glare narrowed and she readied the sharp blades for her throw before repeating her question,

"Who are you?"

"No vampire would ever give his true name fool. I am known as Battousai, King of the Underworld." Misao's eyes widened in shock and she took a step back before remembering what Kaoru had always lectured her about.

_'To a vampire, the home is a sacred place. We of the undead cannot enter a household without permission from the owner. If a vampire tries to get into the apartment, ignore them and don't look at them in the eyes, some, like me, have the power to hypnotize. If a vampire somehow already entered, claim your dominance over a household and you should have some measure of power over them. Being human, you won't have much influence but you'll have enough to make them obey the command not to kill you. Only a few vampires can deny the owner and if you ever meet any of those vampires, you're safer outside your house than in it.'_

"I uh…claim my dominance?" Battousai looked at her amusedly before glancing down at the girl in his arms.

"I suppose she taught you that…fine, what do you want?"

"Put Kaoru down!"

"No. Anything else?" Misao gulped but straightened her posture and in a (Megumi inspired) haughty tone, commanded,

"Don't kill me or Kaoru," he thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Fine but know this human, I am only accepting your claim because I want too. Nothing will get between me and mine." Misao arched an eyebrow but nodded, walking over to the kitchen, hitting the coffee pot to make it start.

"How do you know about Aoshi?" Battousai snorted, disappearing into Kaoru's room and deposited the woman on her bed before returning to the kitchen.

"Aoshi is one of my most faithful guards, you should be honoured." The mug fell from her grasp and she spun, her bright blue eyes searching for the vampire lord. He was gone, a small drop of blood showing he was there at all.

A groan made her turn to the bedroom and Misao watched as Kaoru blearily stumbled out of her bedroom.

"Ugh…headache. Hey Mi, pass me some coffee…" Misao silently poured another mug of coffee and handed it to the stumbling vampire.

"Kao-chan…does Battousai have any human guards?" Kaoru sat down on one of the stools and shook her head.

"No, they'd die right away. His castle is in the Shadow Realm. Only creatures of the night can go in there and live. Why?"

"Aoshi is one of his guards…" Kaoru fell silent and hopped off the stool, enveloping the girl in a tight hug.

"It's okay Mi…you want me to go find him and drag his ass back here?" Misao shook her head, her face pressed against Kaoru's shirt.

"No…if he doesn't come back of his free will…I don't want him back at all!" Kaoru was silent but led the girl to her bedroom, making sure she would be all right before leaving the apartment. No matter what Misao said, Kaoru was going to see where the hell Aoshi had gotten the idea to leave Misao like that…

It only took seconds for her to get to the nearest hellhole, a tear in the dimension that lead to the Shadow Realm and began to cast the spell needed for entry. Only vampires of reasonable power could open hellholes on a whim due to the complexity of the spell and the strength realm skipping (as it was called) drained from the caster. As a silver pentagram appeared beneath her feet, she began to chant, a quiet undistinguishable murmur.

"W-Wait please!" She stopped; her arms rose in the air and turned her head (careful not to disrupt the silver flames that outlined the star), to gaze at the young boy running towards her.

"Why do you need to travel to the Shadow Realms? You can be any more than 3 years old!" The boy glared at her,

"None of your business ya old hag!" Her eyes narrowed and she moved her arms into the next position for the spell.

"I really wouldn't insult someone who has the power to open a hellhole." The boy pouted and inched near the edge of the circle,

"Can I come in?" Kaoru nodded and the boy walked through the flames, unharmed. "Look, I'm sorry, 'kay? My name's Yahiko and I need to find a Master so I can become the best vampire in the realm!" With a quiet snort, Kaoru turned back to her chanting, altering the spell enough to include Yahiko, and finally snapped her arms to her sides, completing the spell.

The pentagram began to rise, inching up their bodies and slowly transporting them into the Shadow Realm, particle by particle. Unmoved by the fact her shins were now gone, Kaoru crossed her arms impatiently, wishing the spell could be faster. A small whimper at her side made her look down at the younger vampire in amazement as she finally realized,

"You have realm skipped haven't you?" Yahiko glared up at her and nodded furiously, his hands digging into his pockets in fear. Sighing, Kaoru knelt down and encased the boy in her arms, ignoring his protests. Within seconds, the portal closed over them entirely and they were gone, teleported deep within the shadow realms.

"Whaddya do that for!" Kaoru rolled her eyes and straightened, cracking her spine happily.

"It's good to be back, haven't been here in years…" Yahiko glared up at her curiously,

"How'd you get your blood then?"

"I have a friend who's a doctor, she supplies me every so often." Yahiko frowned in disgust,

"Humans, blech!" Kaoru glanced down at him, eyebrows raised.

"That's a negative outlook on interspecies relationships…"

"I hate humans! They don't deserve to live in the same realm as us!" Kaoru knelt down and playfully ruffled the boys hair,

"You'd be surprised at how many humans agree with you there…even with the dark treaty between humans and us, they're terrified that we'll rise up and attack them again like we did ten years ago. That's when I was changed, so I'm kind of stuck opinion wise…" Yahiko snorted and watched as Kaoru rose, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she glared disdainfully at her outfit.

"Dammit…I never changed…but listen brat, there's a vampire who lives just down the street and around the corner. Go to him and explain Sapphire sent you okay? Oh…and a note, don't give anyone your name, it gives them power over you." Yahiko looked stricken and Kaoru could hear him gulp,

"But I told you my name!" she laughed and gestured him closer,

"Now you gotta keep this a secret or I'll have to kill you painfully and slowly okay?" at his nod, she quietly whispered in his ear,

"My name is Kaoru, remember it but tell no one." Yahiko nodded and Kaoru stood up again, gesturing down the cobblestone street, "Remember, Sapphire sent you, and you can call yourself…hmm…Brat. Tell Mistress Tea ("Tea? You gotta be kidding me…like in the drink?") that you're looking for a Master." With a nod, he turned and darted down the street, mentally chanting her instructions in his head. Laughing as he ran off, she turned and jogged into the nearest clothing store, eager to get out of the tiny garments.

Emerging from the store, she grimaced but knew that it was the best thing one could find in the Shadow Realm. The entire ensemble was leather, decorated with various buckles and straps. The top was a high collared vest, held together in the centre by four silver buckles, ending just above her naval, while the pants were tight leather, the cuffs disappearing into a pair of armoured knee high boots. A belt was slung around her hips, dangling with various purses and weaponry designed for intimidation. Her hair was pulled back up into a ponytail and black metal arm guards shone on each forearm.

Rolling her eyes, she quickly set her sights on the huge castle rising out of the darkness, near the end of the city. Modelled after the 18th century motif, all of the roads were cobblestone and the buildings were old fashioned made out of a synthesized material that looked a lot like wood (having real wood would kill a majority of low level vampires) with the hanging signs swaying the wind. The sky was a mottled grey and black, with a bright white moon hanging, perpetually full, behind the castle. While having the appearance of the moon on Earth, the Underworld moon was tinged blue and allowed werewolves (and other shape-shifting monsters) to have the ability to maintain human form but still not burning the lower level vampires like the sun would.

Sighing, she began the lengthy walk up to the castle, deciding that flying would bring too much commotion. Being the spawn of the most powerful vampire in existence did have its perks, Kaoru admitted, but more often than not she despised the amount of power the other vampire had over her as a side effect. Anger building as she remembered his actions of the previous day, she bit her lip and vaulted into the air, landing on a nearby building.

For a minute, she looked like a statue, perfectly still on the rooftop before a pair of bat wings burst out of her back, ripping through the tough leather. Flapping her extra appendages experimentally, she growled and took off in flight. Screw what anyone said about her, she was pissed and she needed to find Aoshi ASAP and smack some sense into the ninja's skull, just to relieve her temper.

Seconds later she landed with a heavy thump in front of the gates, her sapphire glare trained on the guards.

"Let me in." One of the guards looked her up and down, his eyes resting on her wings for a spilt second before shaking his head in the negative.

"Sorry, no one is allowed in unless they have authorization or proof of claim to the lord of the castle." Rolling her eyes, she stepped forward and undid the top buckle, ignoring the stares when her fingers didn't burn away under the presence of silver.

"Here, is this good enough?" She flashed the bite marks for a brief inspection, before redoing the collar. Stunned, the guard nodded,

"Yes Ma'am…that works fine."

"Thank you, I always find it much more polite to get the guards to open the gates instead of forcing my way in." Another guard snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, gesturing at the still closed gates

"Like you could open this gate! It's made of the purest silver and is doused in holy water. Only our sire, Lord Battousai can even stand to touch it without exploding into ash!" The first guard shrugged but nodded in agreement,

"Sorry milady, but I have to agree with Berenizius here. Those gates have killed more guards than our enemies!" Huffing angrily, Kaoru strode forward waved her hand towards the metal, eyes narrowing when it only shifted an inch under her mental shove.

"Going to be stubborn are we?" With the quiet mutter, she took another step towards the gate and placed her hands against the bars, tuning out the guards fearful gasps. Shoulder's tensing noticeably; she pushed, both mentally and physically, against the silver gates. With a satisfied grunt, the door swung upwards and she stepped through the fence, allowing the gate to slam shut behind her. Blowing on her lightly singed hands, she flashed a fanged smirk at the unbelieving guards.

"Now…if a little thing like me can open it, what could our enemies do?" With a laugh, she turned back and merrily skipped to the castle's main drawbridge. A flick of her wrist and a mental shove had the wooden gate falling gracefully to make a bridge between the land and the castle and she crossed it quietly, a small smile dancing on her lips.

As she entered the main courtyard, she flared her aura, trying to find Aoshi's ice cold Ki. She never forgot a friend's aura, no matter how old nor what species. A twitch in her senses made her turn, sapphire eyes widening in surprise at the figure that greeted her,

"What are you doing here?" A deep chuckle, full of hidden desires and blood lust, echoed around the courtyard.

"Why…my little Sapphire Kitten, the better question would be, what are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

And there folks, is the end of chapter five, complete with kick-ass Kaoru and angsty past pals turning into vampires. Isn't life great? Anyhoo, please review and tell me what you think! I'll loveth you all if ya do! Oh by the way...despite my lovely editing skills...I have realized I REAAAAALLLLLY need a beta-reader, so if any one of my much loved readers knows a beta-reader or has experience as a beta-reader...email me at THANKIES! 


	6. Ch6 Mauve Memories

Amazing isn't it? That I finally reached Chapter Six with this story! N E Ways, here it is Mauve Memories . Its actually funny…I just made up a plot line and its soooooo different from my original plot bunny w/ a mallet (See profile for explanation)…sigh but I don't even remember what I had originally thought of…hmm…ah well, and as always, any contributions of what you think should happen…GIMME GIMMEEEEEEE

Oh and yes, I'M SORRRY! In my nice (cough) little poem I wrote for Chapter five, I wrote Watakashi for some reason I don't know…It is the wonderful Robuhiro Watsuki-sama that made Rurouni Kenshin! SO ALL BOW DOWN TO HIM! (a.k.a I don't own RK)

And finally, third announcement before the 6th chapter…this chapter is dedicated to Steph, who made me realize that if you guys don't think I need a beta-er I'll just have to try my best to catch any mistakes…but as always, tell me if you notice anything! Ciao luff you all!

Disclaimer:

Don't see who will care

So I don't know why I try

Considering every day

I don't own RK makes me cry

* * *

Excerpt From Chapter 5: Cobalt Control

_As she entered the main courtyard, she flared her aura, trying to find Aoshi's ice cold Ki. She never forgot a friend's aura, no matter how old nor what species. A twitch in her senses made her turn, sapphire eyes widening in surprise at the figure that greeted her,_

"_What are you doing here?" A deep chuckle, full of hidden desires and blood lust, echoed around the courtyard,_

"_Why…my little Sapphire Kitten, the better question would be, what are __you__ doing here?"_

* * *

"I wasn't talking you, ass." Kaoru flicked her hair over her shoulder and turned her cobalt gaze on the young boy in front of her, "Well Brat?" Yahiko snorted and flapped a hand at her,

"Don't worry about me, ya old hag! Missy. Tea told me a guy here would assign someone to me! She said I had great potential…" His chest puffed up in pride and Kaoru's wings fluttered angrily.

"Well that means you're here to see him." She pointed her middle finger at the vampire standing on the stairs behind her. "Have fun, I'm looking for someone else." Battousai strolled up to her, his fingers trailing along her wings, ignoring it when she jerked the wing out of his hold.

"Kitty, you gave my guards a scare. Refrain from doing so again…but you are always welcome here. It's nice to see you appreciate my little 'kiss' as an entry pass." Kaoru hissed at the referral to her showing his mark to get in and jumped into the air, hovering above the ground for a second to blow a kiss to Yahiko and flip off Battousai before taking off into the sky above the palace.

"Now, Brat was your name? What's your real name?" Yahiko stubbornly shook his head, remembering Kaoru's warning,

"Call me Brat, Sapphire told me never to tell anyone my name!" Battousai smirked,

"Sapphire? You mean Kitten?" At Yahiko's hesitant nod, he laughed, "Kitten is a feisty creature…but she's _mine_. I am her Master and because you are a vampire, I am your lord." He gestured to the palace behind him, "I am the Lord of the Shadow Realms, Leader of every vampire in creation. When I ask for your name, you will give it to me." Yahiko bit his lip but, unwilling to upset his new idol, quietly muttered his name,

"Yahiko"

"Very good," a smirk curled up on his lips and Battousai began walking towards a smaller, less ornate, building to their left. "Come, Let's find you a Master…"

"Wait…you said you're Sapphire's Master…but we're finding me a Master?" Battousai smirked, his tongue darting out to lick his lips in remembrance,

"She is my creation. I changed her. She is mine." This time the possessive wasn't a sneered title, but a fact and Yahiko felt a shiver run down his spine at the unashamed proclamation.

"H-How…did you meet?" A low chuckle echoed around the courtyard again,

"We never met until after she discovered she was no longer alive…"

"Isn't that kinda rude?"

"Of course it is…but Kitten has always been an exception to the rules…

* * *

_The hesitant cry was muffled in the still night air, innocence and fear lacing every word,_

"_M-Misao? A-Are you there?" The words gained the harsh cut of anger, "This isn't funny anymore! Misao! Stop it! Aoshi's gonna kill me if Mama doesn't first!" Heavy breathing reached his sensitive hearing and he watched in amusement as the girl fearlessly stood her ground, slipping into an obviously practiced stance when she realized another being was there. _

_Interesting._

_"Stop it! I know you're out there and this is beginning to feel like a game of cat and mouse!" The drunken man lurched out the alley and threw himself on the tiny girl.  
Instinctively his blood rushed forward and he could feel his fangs grow in anger. Startled he drew back further into the shadows, cursing his near slip in control. The very thought of the girl getting hurt brought his vampire instincts to protect ones mate to the fore. Snarling quiet curses, he wrapped his aura more securely around himself, blending firmly into the shadows on the deserted street. The girl had already taken care of the drunk, he noted with some surprise. It hadn't taken long for her to knock him out; it impressive for a young child to beat a full-grown man in the time it took a vampire to curb its instincts._

_The scent of blood and urine permeated through the street and he nearly gagged, the heavy smell of alcohol dominant in the blood, diluting it beyond a vampire's normal preference._

_The girl was scared now, fear tingeing the air causing the vampire to frown. Stepping out of the shadows, he began walking towards the girl, watching in surprise when she spun and darted away. Not many people would know that a vampire was near, young children, younger than the girl, might be able to sense the undead due to their sensitivity to the realm around them but she had long passed the point where she had believed in the boogeyman and monsters under the bed…_

_The need to talk to this interesting creature grew and he sped up, darting in front of her to ask her a question when gleaming metal rasped against metal. Eyes narrowing at the sight of the sword, he opened his mouth to explain his curiosity (something rare in vampires) when she bit down on her lip. Immediately copper filled the air and the smell drove his primal side forward, all conscious thought disappearing in a cloud of jasmine scented blood. Clawed hand darting to the sword at his waist, he was overcome by the urge to spill her blood, the wonderful smelling blood, all over the ground. _

_The jolt of sword against sword did nothing to startle him but the sudden dodge around him made him turn in shock. The girl had darted around him without a second thought, running towards a bright shining building and, more specifically, the gleaming blue scanner. In some deep corner of his feral mind, he realized that the blood was inside of her and killing her would do nothing but spill it onto the dirty ground, soiling the precious liquid. _

_A gasp of air distracted him from his thoughts and he noticed his prey about to open the door to her sanctuary. Eyes gleaming he rushed forward and grabbed the back of her shirt, a low primal need pulsing though his veins, _

_Mine_

_Mine!_

_MINE_

_MINE!_

_MINE!_

_The scent of panic filled the air and he snarled silently, he didn't want his human to suffer, to be scared. Gently, he brought his hand down and rapped her smartly on the back of her head, not waiting for her descent into unconsciousness before sinking his fangs into her neck, wanting to fulfill the aching need that had spread through his fangs…_

_HIS_

* * *

_He had to leave…his precious…his…he shook his head violently to dispel the desire to have her near him at all times. Carefully, he scooped her up in his arms and rubbed his nose against her cheek in an uncharacteristic display of affection. The ancient part of his soul leaped in possessive joy when she subconsciously returned the nudge and quickly laid claim to her soul, wrapping her glowing spirit in strands of his own, protecting, caring, possessing, loving._

_Pressing a quick kiss on her cheek, he gently laid her on the ground, hissing in disapproval at the lacklustre surroundings. For lack of better place however, she had to be left here. He brushed a hand over her head in apology, fingers immediately twining in the dark blue strands, so different from his own. _

_Fire and Water. _

_Passion and Calm_

_Blood and Tears_

_Opposites. _

_Brushing another chaste kiss against her cheek, he reluctantly disengaged his hand and rose, eyes flashing when her hair slid over her shoulder to pool over his mark. Tugging the strands away, he stared in satisfaction at the red marks adorning her neck. She would hopefully learn what an honour it was to be bitten by someone from the Shadow Night clan, leaders of the Shadow Realm._

_Another mental call tugged on his mind and he rolled his eyes at his Master's impatience. Walking a few feet away, he waved a golden crescent moon into existence beneath his feet. Waiting for the gleaming sign to complete teleport him, he stared at the limp form that lay helplessly on the ground. No vampire would ever try and hurt her, no one would try and claim her…she was his and every vampire would know it._

_The sign completely enveloped him and he reappeared back into the centre of the Shadow Realm. Too bad he couldn't have brought her with him but young vampires would never survive the trip, their blood still too unsettled (without outside influence) for the dark environment. With a sigh, he released his wings, giant things of at least a four-meter wingspan each, and took off into the air. He would be back. She was **his**. _

_

* * *

_

_When he reappeared back into the alley, he immediately sought the sleeping form of his newly made vampire. A roar erupted from his throat and he furiously stalked over to where she had lain, her aura imprinted on the spot. Being her Master, he could control everything about her and because of that, could see her distinct aura miles away. A gleaming pillar of blue tinged silver light shot up not far from where he was standing and he realized that she must have woken and walked away. But now something was happening to her. Something that was hurting her by the looks of the sharp lightning bolts of red zinging through her aura. _

_Eyes burning, he stalked down the alley and turned the corner, making his way through the maze of alleyways and streets. A slight nudging on his mind notified him that a hellhole was being opened and he sped up, somehow knowing that she was about to die if he didn't get there any faster. With a final burst of speed, he darted around the corner and shoved her out of the simple circular spell sign, the weak brown flames lightly burning his exposed arm as he scooped her up in his arms. _

"_What do you think you're doing man?" Fangs sprouting, he spun on the foolish spell caster, rage practically radiating off of him at the stupid question._

"_She is MINE! How dare YOU hurt her!" In his arms the young girl stared up at him, fear prominent in the sapphire depths._

"_H-How did you know he was hurting me? I made sure not to distract him…" Practically purring, he cradled her to his chest, revelling in the feel of her aura against his._

"_I can tell because you are mine. I will always know if you are in pain or being hurt." Scared now, she simply nodded, allowing him to turn his attention back to the foolhardy vampire. "What is your name?" The brown haired boy gulped and looked at the girl in his arms,_

"_Oi…Kaoru, who is this guy?" Kaoru bit her lip, tearing lightly through the delicate skin with her newly grown fangs._

"_Ow! I think he's the one who bit me Sano…" Leaning down, he gently licked off the small droplets of blood, ignoring both Kaoru's and Sano's scared and inquisitive gazes. _

"_I am of the Shadow Night clan, what are you?" Sano gulped at the title and scuffed out the remaining flames with his foot,_

"_I'm from the Tan Harpy clan…uh…sir" A snort came from the strange vampire and he glared at Sano with smouldering golden eyes._

"_I am called Battousai and I know that, while low in power, the Tan Harpy clan is smart enough not to take a newly changed through to the Shadow Realms!" Sano blushed lightly and chomped harshly on the fishbone in his mouth,_

"_Feh…knew I forgot about something…" Battousai restrained the urge to wring the idiot's neck in favour of checking Kaoru more thoroughly. Her aura was returned to normal, no bolts of pain or swirls of agony, just a calming silver flame. He grinned a fanged smile, another opposite. His aura was a shocking gold, gleaming like the sun some said, others said it shone like the brightest gold but now he knew that nothing they could say would describe Kaoru's swirling aura, nothing would ever compare to the glorious swirls of silver._

"_Come Kaoru…I'll get you home." At her furious shivers, he frowned and hoisted her up higher in his arms, "What is it, Kaoru-koi?"_

"_I don't want to go home. My family and friends are silver hunters…they'll kill me." _

"_No they won't" No one would hurt Kaoru while he still lived, no one would ever hurt what was his. But with a nod, he gazed around before looking at the ground beneath their feet. _

"_Kaoru-koi…I need you to do something for me…" She looked up, blue pools surprisingly trusting of the person who changed her very species. Another thing to ask her about, he decided with an inward smirk. "You need to close your eyes and never, do you hear me, NEVER let go off me until I tell you that you can. Okay?" At her nod, he glanced at Sano for a second, before deciding the unfortunate vampire's fate._

"_Come, I will bring you back to the Tan Harpies…hopefully they'll smash some sense in that skull of yours." Sano shook his head,_

"_No can do, I'm on a trial journey in the human realm. No going back for another…3 decades." He nodded and with a flick of his hand, the golden moon shot into existence. Wanting to get it over with, he quickly cut open his hand with a fang, pressing it into her mouth._

"_Drink Kaoru. You need more vampire blood than human so that the aura of the Shadow Realm doesn't rip you apart." Obediently she drank, grimacing at the taste. The diagram began to rise and his soul instinctively tightened even further around hers, unknowingly binding her to him even more. Slowly the image covered their heads and they found themselves in the Northern part of the Shadow Realm. _

"_We are in the Shadow Realm, an alternate world for those born of the night, like werewolves and vampires. You will eventually learn how to open a hellhole like I just did but it takes considerable power and instinctual training. No one can show you want to do but your natural intuition will teach you how to harness your power." Kaoru nodded and he carried her (quietly) protesting form towards the giant castle in the distance. _

"_Who owns that castle?" He smirked,_

"_I do…well…technically my Master, but I am in line for inheritance, so it will be mine if a silver hunter kills him or he abdicates the throne." Eyes wide, she nodded, slightly overwhelmed and her protests fell silent. At the sudden quiet between them, he smirked and held her tighter to his chest, gesturing for the guards to open the gate (ignoring their bewildered glances at the girl in his arms) and stalked into the courtyard, noddingin respect to the giant man standing in the centre. _

"_Hello Battousai. Is this the one?"_

"_Yes Master Hiko, her name is Kaoru. She cannot return to her home because her family are silver hunters. " Hiko nodded and glanced up at the sky when it rumbled ominously. _

"_Come inside and be quick about it you stupid fool…" Battousai nodded and gracefully leapt up the steps, eliciting a squeak from the girl in his grasp. Entering the castle, he trailed after his Master, a small niggling of suspicion twitching in his brain._

"_Master, where are we going?"_

"_To the portal room you stupid fool. She must return to her home soil before daybreak." His golden eyes widened along with Kaoru's, a horrified gasp escaping her lips. _

"_But…her family are silver hunters…I told you this Master." Hiko nodded and waved his hand to open the large doors._

"_Yes, but she must be on home soil, she has no attachment to this place so it cannot be considered her home. You cannot follow her, for while her family will not harm her, they will try to kill both of you if you, Prince of the Shadow Realm, accompany your vampire princess there." A snarl worked its way up his throat and he glared at his Master, only being soothed by the gentle hand on his sleeve. _

"_He's right…I know how vampires work, I was growing up to be a hunter too. A newly made vampire has to return to their home soil before the sun rises or they turn into ash. Don't worry, my family can't kill me until they hear the whole story, it is against their principles. I was just scared…because while they may not kill me, they can still seal me away or disown me." Battousai reluctantly nodded and Kaoru hopped out of his arms, staring in curiosity at the various swirls the decorated the walls of the room. Obeying Hiko's unspoken order, she walked into the centre of the room, standing on the dragon that curled around in a spiral on the floor. _

"_Do not open your eyes, and do not cry out if it begins to hurt." Kaoru nodded and watched in apprehension as the black flames sprouted along the dragon's outline. Slowly the image crawled up her body and Battousai watched in slight anger as she disappeared, appearing in front of her family's home. _

_In a mental view, he made sure she had walked into the house safely before shutting off the connection between them. Turning to his Master he bowed and left the room, fangs growing as his anger built. She was gone._

* * *

_A week passed and he knew, by the mental presence in his head, that she was still "alive and breathing". With a sigh, he waited patiently for her to leave her house, wanting to go to her and hold her in his arms, never letting go. He could pass through the walls and go to her but he wanted his Kaoru to come to him. _

_Realm skipping over to the human side, he stared impatiently at the door of the gleaming metal house, willing it to open and his Kaoru to exit. Grumbling silently, he snuck up closer to the house and slipped through the wall, wincing as the house owner's barrier burnt his skin. But after a minute of excruciating pain, he was through and hidden securely in the shadows as he strolled through the house, making sure to keep every sense open for a human presence. _

_Surprisingly, there were no human auras in the house, only the slight scent of blood permeating through the rooms. His Kaoru was upstairs, apparently still resting from when she had passed through the realms by herself because there were no signs of her aura on the main floor. Frowning at his Master's lack of warning that she would be so deeply fatigued, he carefully slid open the kitchen door, eyes widening in shock at the blood shed that greeted him._

_Or rather…LACK of bloodshed._

_Bodies were mutilated beyond recognition but he could see a few strands of blood soaked blue hair attached to a brutally decapitated skull that must have been Kaoru's mother, but he could detect no blood in the rest of her corpse, only a tiny stain on the carpet._

_Another body was impaled on the wall by a katana that was so similar to his it was eerie. This body was intact, but drained dry, no blood except for a splotch around the sword from entry. The precision of the cut proved that the murderer had made sure that the man (most likely Kaoru's father) had been alive the entire time while the killer completely obliterated the rest of Kaoru's family in front the stabbed man. _

_Turning over another corpse, he ignoring the blood that covered his hands and stared in slight disgust at what must have happened to the tiny girl with short brown hair tied up in pigtails. She hadn't been sucked dry, merely tortured and perhaps raped before being killed by a quick snap of her neck. Another girl was lying nearby, medium length chocolate-coloured hair crusted with blood. _

_With a disgusted sigh, he ran his hand down his face, willing away the headache that had begun to threaten to tear his head apart. Going over to the father, he swiftly removed the sword and cursed when the dead weight settled firmly against his chest, staining his clothes with old blood. Carefully, he laid the body down by that of the (assumed) mother's and respectfully dragged the last two corpses (the two girls) over to the couple so they resembled the family they had been before death had taken them. _

_A scream pierced the silence and he suddenly realized the tug that he had thought was a headache was actually Kaoru's return to the conscious world. Blue eyes stared at him accusingly and he suddenly realized what it must look like. Blood stained clothes and hands, blood dripping down his chin onto the bodies of the children and bloody sword that reeked of her father's blood in one hand, the other entangled in the mother's hair as he tugged her separated head back to her body. _

"_Y-Y-You KILLED them! I had trusted you!" Her voice rose in pitch until it reached a high, nearly hoarse scream. "GET OUT!" It was her house now, and he felt himself violently picked up into the air by an invisible hand and dragged until his back slammed against the wall. _

_Power roared around her tense form as she continued to scream that one command, eyes fixed on the dead forms of her family. _

"_GET OUT" _

"GET OUT"

**"GET OUT!"**

_With the final cry, her eyes snapped shut and all the energy that had been flowing around her body burst, sending violent silver shockwaves through the entire house, tearing up the modernized tile flooring and making the so-called indestructible walls break apart, sending him flying through the air and through a silver star that hovered in the middle of the sky. _

_With a thump, he landed with multiple broken bones on the cobblestones of the Shadow Realm. Groaning, he felt his lips curl up into a smirk. He was right, she had been just as powerful as he expected, to be able to open a hellhole in the very sky itself was a rare accomplishment…with another groan, his head fell back down on the pavement and he succumbed to the haunting darkness as his body began the laborious task of healing his broken body…too bad it could do nothing for the ache that spread through his soul, his spirit yearning to touch hers again…when it never would again…_

* * *

And that's the end of Chapter 6 hope you liked it! It was a nice look into the past by Battousai's perspective…kinda…sorta…never mind.

* * *

Reviewers: I was totally overwhelmed by how many reviews I got! I was so happy! grin Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter and feel free to criticize (but be nice!) grammar and plot flow.

* * *

Royal bluekitsune: Thanks! I try to get the maximum cheesiness in all my poems! grin And I've updated, so I hope you keep reading my story!

Kaori-Angel: I tried to make Kaoru a bit more…if you'll excuse my French, bitchy. In some fics I've read she's all like, "oh save me! Save me!" the whole damsel in distress thing. So while I'm an avid fan of possessive Battousai (reads Ravyn's works squeals) I prefer stories where Kaoru is more in character, more defiant…I just take that defiance to an extreme!

Bradybunch4529: Thank you! I've updated so I hope you tell me what you think of this chapter, your review made me blush! I sometimes try too hard to put details of people into the story so I was incredibly happy when you said that they seemed alive! THANK YOU!

FlamingYinYang: Awww, thanks! I'm really glad that my story is exciting enough to keep you hooked! Please keep reading! P.S. I love your name :P

Becky: I know how you feel, I always skip homework for surfing the web and end up doing it at like, midnight. Thanks a lot for the review, made me very happy!

Loveywhatever: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

Brigitte: Thank you. And I hope this chapter stays up to standards! Lol

Steph: Eee! Thankies! I was giggling insanely for an hour after reading your review! It was nice to here how you didn't think I needed a beta-er! LUFF YOU!


	7. Ch7 Carmine Corpses

_A giant black square lands with a thump on the ground in front of Mistress and winds blow ominously across the ground (with, of course, the mandatory tumbleweed blowing in the breeze)_

That, my friends…is a writer's block…lovely isn't it? And that, unfortunately, is the reason it took me FOREVER to finish and post this god forsaken chapter…anyhoo!

Here's chapter seven! Amazing really…what with the giant block of pure EEEEVIL standing in front of me …hmm… ah well, CHAPTER 7!

Disclaimer:

My rhymes are gonna suck

'Cause I can't think of the words to say

That would adequately show

My very overwhelming dismay

…

(…um…yeah…and I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…)

Excerpt from Chapter Six: Mauve Memories

_With a thump, he landed with multiple broken bones on the cobblestones of the Shadow Realm. Groaning, he felt his lips curl up into a smirk. He was right, she had been just as powerful as he expected, to be able to open a hellhole in the very sky itself was a rare accomplishment…with another groan, his head fell back down on the pavement and he succumbed to the haunting darkness as his body began the laborious task of healing his broken body…too bad it could do nothing for the ache that spread through his soul, his spirit yearning to touch hers again…when it never would again…_

Landing on the ground, Kaoru folded her wings back inside her body and stalked off towards the tiny training field behind the castle. The clang of metal against metal reached her ears and she suppressed a sigh at the memories threatening to return.

Suzume

Ayame

Mother

Father

Shaking her head, she practically stormed into the field, heading straight for a tall man, standing with his back to her. As she walked through the fight, a sword pierced her shoulder but she paid it no mind, her entire being focused on the man.

"Are you alright? I mean, that was straight silver that went through your shoulder Miss." Kaoru waved the hovering boy off and rolled her shoulder as the muscles knit back together painfully.

"I'm fine." At her words, the man turned around in surprise, ice blue eyes widening marginally,

"Kaoru?" A snarl escaped her lips at the very sight of him and she pounced on him, sending him to the ground before she stood over him, sapphire eyes flashing in rage. Silently she backed up and allowed him to stand, replying in a strangely stoic voice,

"Aoshi." Aoshi sheathed his sword and began walking out of the training field, Kaoru following him angrily.

"What are you doing here Kaoru?" Her eyes widened and violently repressed the urge to slap him upside the head.

"What am **I** doing here? What are **you** doing here?" They sat down on a nearby bench and Kaoru allowed herself to glare at him threateningly,

"Why didn't you tell us you had been changed?"

"I didn't want Makimachi to know"

"Makimachi now? What happened to calling your girlfriend by her first name? Oh wait!" She snapped her fingers sarcastically, "She's not your girlfriend! She's your **fiancée**!" Aoshi looked at her silently and Kaoru sighed, collapsing against his strong frame, rubbing her temples exasperatedly.

"Dammit Aoshi, how could you be such an ass?" She looked up at him exasperatedly, "Misao found out today that you've been alive when she thought you had either died or worse, abandoned her." Aoshi stayed silent during her rant but ran a hand through his hair when she finished.

"I am dead. No creature of the undead should involve themselves with the living."

"You realize that's a lot of crap right? Especially from you" he looked down at her questioningly,

"Is it?" Kaoru rolled to her feet and glared at him, hands propped up on her hips. Her fangs lengthened and she rolled her eyes in disbelief at his apparent stupidity,

"Yeah! You don't seem to remember that I'm a vampire and I always came to you and Misao! Even…" she faltered but pressed on determinedly, "Even when I had just seen my entire family DEAD!"

_Smiling, he draped the heavy blanket over them. Amusement growing at Misao's over exaggerated shivers; he quickly enveloped the tiny girl in his arms. It wasn't that cold but his friend…no…best friend was an eccentric type and had decided that it was freezing and they needed the warmest blanket he could find before they could finish watching the movie._

_"Aoooooshiiiiiii" _

"_What Mi?"_

"_Where's Kao? She said that she'd come and watch the movie with us! I was so worried when she disappeared for an entire day so I know she would come to this, just to show she was okay!"_

"_You know she's still tired…"_

"_Yeah…" her face fell, "because she was bitten…and it's all my fault!" The tiny ten-year-old burst into tiny sobs and Aoshi sighed, patting the girl on the back._

"_No it's not. You guys were playing hide and seek, you aren't suppose to go looking for her." Red-rimmed eyes glared up at him,_

"_You wouldn't have let Kaoru get bitten…It's 'cause I'm three years younger than you that she was bitten!" A wail echoed through the house and Aoshi sighed again, running a soothing hand through the girl's hair._

"_Mi, stop crying." With a few final sniffles, she stopped crying just in time to hear a loud thump sound against the door._

"_That didn't sound like Kao…" Aoshi nodded in agreement but got off the couch and hit the button to open the door, gazing in shock at the sight that greeted him. _

"_Help…me…please…" _

"_KAO!"_

"_KAORU!"_

"You guys didn't turn me away so what makes you think Misao and I would turn you away?" Aoshi stood and stalked away, anger radiating through his aura. Furiously, Kaoru darted in front of him, sapphire eyes livid.

The sudden stinging pain in his cheek made Aoshi stare at the fuming girl in amazement,

"Y-You slapped me."

"Yes! I DID! BECAUSE YOU'RE ACTING LIKE A BLOODY TWO YEAR OLD!"

"Please don't kill him Kitten…he is a rather good guard." Immediately Aoshi fell to the ground, kneeling in front of his Lord before gazing up at Kaoru in shock when she failed to imitate him.

"Don't interrupt you jerk! I have a personal matter to discuss with Ice-boy here so back off!"

"Personal matters can wait Kitten…we have other business to take care of." Ignoring Aoshi's incredulous gaze, Kaoru glared at the vampire,

"Other business? Pray tell, what would I possibly have to do with you?" Battousai smirked and his hand snapped out to pull her to his chest, his arms wrapping around her tiny frame.

"You have a lot to do with me…but right now, we have to go track down…Yumi was her name? And we need to have a discussion about your little…trick that you performed with Derek..."

"Shove it, bastard. I don't need to discuss anything with you!"

"Why Kitten, such ugly language for such a beautiful lady!" Her eyes lit up in sarcastic anticipation and she practically bounced up and down,

"Wanna hear more? 'Cause I've got tons of words that I've been saving especially for you!" A smirk appeared on his features and he waved Aoshi away from their argument.

"Especially for me Kitten? I feel loved."

"Don't be, you aren't" she snarled in reply. With a huff of annoyance, she pried his arms off of her waist and stalked away towards the centre of the city. There was only one bar that unknown vampires could go to without the regulars telling Battousai…

"Nightmares Sin"

"Quaint place…Haven't been here for a while though…I prefer the Bloody Mary tavern." Battousai shot a golden glance over at her,

"Hanging out in taverns Kitten?" Eye twitching, she rounded on him, poking him in the chest with a pale digit,

"First things first, stop calling me that stupid name!" An eyebrow rose and he crossed his arms over his chest,

"What would you have me call you? Kaoru-_mine_" A sapphire glare answered his question and she shuddered,

"Definitely not that or any other derogatory name usually applied to women such as chick, babe, cutie, dear, honey, sweetie or love." Battousai let out an amused chuckle,

"Very well, Princess"

"That's a derogatory name."

"No it's not. A princess is a woman of high ranking, how is that derogatory?"

"It just is!" She threw her hands up in the air and tugged viciously on her ponytail to relieve stress before releasing a sigh.

"Call me Sapphire if you must talk to me at all." He nodded and she fixed her hair, glare still firmly fixed on him,

"And two, you are much too noticeable as you are. Any black market dealers will run at the sight of you, cast a spell or something." He nodded again and snapped, his hair changing into short, black and spiked. The scar remained but it near disappeared into his face, blending in with his now light brown complexion as he glanced at her with the bright purple eyes of his other (and no less recognisable to vampire-kind) form.

"You should too. Yumi sent out her fledgling to kill you. She most likely has some idea of what you look like." Rolling her eyes, Kaoru nodded and dragged her fingers through her hair, undoing to tie to send the now pale white locks cascading heavily down her back. Blinking, her eyes shone a bright leafy green colour to match the various jewels that now dotted her hair.

"Happy?"

"Not particularly but it will work." As she walked into the bar ahead of him, he repressed a possessive growl when her snow white hair accidentally brushed against his face. No matter what illusions they donned, it seemed they would always be opposites.

Red and Blue

Black and White.

"Are you coming?" Her voice snapped him out of his musings and he nodded,

"Yes." With a final mental slap, he trailed after her, one hand snaking out to protectively grasp hers, fingers tangling possessively. Distracted with her search, Kaoru didn't even notice when he began to glare at anyone who looked at her, his grip tightening around hers. Frustrated, she stopped in the middle of the room and sat down with a pout at the nearest table devoid of patrons.

"How the hell are we suppose to figure out who she is?"

"Ask the waitresses of course." Kaoru's eyes glinted and she gestured to the nearest waitress. When the busty red head wandered over, notepad at the ready, Kaoru looked up at her, a fake smile dancing on her lips even when the waitress refused to look at either of them.

"Whatcha got?" The waitress rolled her red eyes (a sign of lower status among vampires) and began listing off the day's menu, finishing with,

"And if ya want, we've got the best bloody margarita this side of the Shadows." Kaoru thought for a second before nodding,

"I'll take that, never had it before…I hope it's good!" The red head looked at her incredulously,

"Are ya sure hon? It's a bit strong for first timers" Kaoru was about to reply scathingly when Battousai finally decided to intercede.

"She'll be fine. I'll have the strongest alcoholic beverage you have."

"Any blood with that?" Battousai nodded,

"A pint" eyebrows rising, the waitress finally looked at the vampire who was currently ordering the insane amount of blood.

"Listen hon we can't…" her mouth dropped open slightly and her posture changed from bored to obviously interested, her tongue lashing out to wet her dry lips. Amused, Battousai snapped her back to reality,

"You were saying?" The waitress smirked and shook her curly head,

"Never mind. I'm sure a fine specimen like you would be able to handle it…you can call me Red." Battousai snorted and reached out to pull Kaoru onto his lap,

"Afraid I'm taken Red. Meet my mate, Silver." Red snorted but backed down when Kaoru glared at her, fangs lengthening threateningly. With a sigh and a mutter about all the good men gone, Red turned and left, assuring them she would be back soon with their orders. As soon as she was out of earshot, Kaoru spun around on his lap, straddling his waist so she could glare at him properly.

"What the hell was that?" Battousai shrugged, purple meeting green in a clash of wills.

"I needed an excuse to turn her down. Not to mention the fact that now no one will bother us." Kaoru rolled her eyes and shook her hand before glancing at the silver bracelets and rings adorning her fingers in place of the black leather arm guards that had been there seconds before.

"If I'm Silver, might as well look the part." With another shake, her other hand was similarly decorated and she spent a second admiring her handiwork before conjuring up an illusionary pair of silver hoops in her ears and multiple thin chains around her waist.

"There. Whaddya think…Gold?"

"Gold?" His tone was amused and she shrugged as she got off of him, no longer needing his body as a shield for her illusion work.

"Well if I'm Silver, you're going to be Gold." She tilted her head to the side, frowning, "too bad you got rid of the eyes…they weren't **that** conspicuous…were they?" He laughed and snapped his fingers, a small golden hoop appearing in his left ear and various golden ornaments now donning his clothing.

"There, happy Silver? Now here comes our drinks so act like you've been wearing those bangles the entire time." Kaoru snorted and leaned back against the table,

"It wasn't like she was looking at me much anyway" he smirked,

"Jealous?" Kaoru shrugged,

"Not particularly, it just means your gonna have to get the information out of her."

"Are you sure Silver? I mean, your fangs came out pretty quick." Rolling her eyes at his insinuation of her being jealous, Kaoru waved a bejewelled hand.

"It was hard, believe me. I'm actually amazed at how fast I got used to the Shadow Realm again. I mean, after spending ten years in the mortal realm with occasional visits to the Shadows, I'm surprised I can use my magic this fast…" Battousai shrugged,

"It's like…oh…how do the mortals put it…riding a bicycle. You never forget." An interested eyebrow rose in his direction,

"By-sick-al?" Battousai chuckled and shook his head just as Red approached their table, balancing a tray with four drinks on one hand,

"Never mind." With a disgruntled thump, the tray was slammed down on their table and Battousai flipped her payment for the drinks before placing a single gold piece on the table.

At the sight of the shimmering coin, Kaoru grinned. Much like the surroundings, the money in the Shadow Realm was old fashioned to preserve the past in vampire society, the first days of vampires. Battousai's words lured her out of her thoughts and she listened carefully to the conversation, ready to hypnotise Red if necessary but slightly unwilling to in such a large crowd.

"We are looking for someone…you might know her…" Red nodded, eyes focused on the golden coin, her fingers twitching in anticipation of more than a month's wages.

"Who?"

"A vampire named Yumi?" Red nearly rolled her eyes but the ruby orbs remained steadfastly fixed on the gleaming money.

"Everyone knows her. She's a regular here along with her ugly little childe, Deren? His name is something close to that." Battousai nodded and placed a finger on the coin, sliding it closer to the eager vampiress.

"Where is she right now?" Red licked her lips and discretely gestured to a table in the far corner of the room, away from the drink counter and dance floor.

"She just asked for her usual, a Bloody Mary with extra red er…sorry, waitress slang, extr-."

"Extra blood" Battousai shot a curious glance at his vampire and she smirked,

"I worked as a waitress for a couple of years, I know the basics." Red's fingers hovered above the coin but Battousai's fingers stayed motionless. Kaoru grinned and stood up, grabbing her drink and downing it in a single gulp, ignoring Red's amazed stare (finally pried away from the money), looked at the waitress.

"Let me deliver her drink." Red hesitated and Battousai placed another coin on the table. Immediately, Red nodded and handed over the tray with the remaining glass on it. Kaoru smirked and lifted the tray up on her hand and sauntered over to the lone table with the practised air of a waitress.

"Here's your drink, lady!" The woman looked up at the heavily accented voice and gazed suspiciously at Kaoru.

"Who are you?" Kaoru grinned and winked, placing the Bloody Mary down on the wooden table, emphasizing her false (but still amazingly realistic) pirate-like brogue.

"I'm a new waitress, me name's Silver! What's yours fine lady?" Yumi sneered and took the glass with a delicate hand,

"You can call me Dream…Silver…" Kaoru grinned and gave the red eyed vampire the thumbs up.

"Yes ma'am!" A hand fell on her shoulder and she looked up surprised, "Huh?" Battousai smirked at her real confusion and sat down at the table, across from Yumi.

"Silver was it?" Kaoru nodded with a mental glare at the raven-haired vampire.

"Yes sir!" With a high pitched giggle, she swept a curtsey, holding the air to her sides like she was pulling out a skirt. Battousai smirked at her acting and rolled his head, cracking his neck.

"Can you get me something?"

"Whaddya want sir?" The smirk grew and Kaoru nearly rolled her eyes at what she knew was coming next.

"I want you, but I'll settle for a pint of blood." Kaoru bit her lip but nodded, skipping over to their old table and, making sure Yumi wasn't looking, grabbed Battousai's untouched jug of blood. A muffled scream caught her attention and she frowned, immediately switching into her 'spy mode' as Misao christened it, placing the drink back down and melting, unseen, into the shadows.

Making her way to the kitchen, her frown grew at the scent of ash and she sped up, passing through various walls, dodging around tables and people until she finally reached the kitchen.

Another muffled scream was brutally cut off by an invisible sharp object (most likely a sword) sweeping through Red's neck, severing the waitress's curly haired head from her body. Grimacing as Red's corpse burst into a pile of ash; Kaoru carefully concealed herself in the shadows and began the search for the invisible intruder.

A spell wavered in the air and was dropped, revealing a blond haired swordsman standing in the middle of the kitchen. Happily the man sheathed his sword into one of the many sheathes on his back and strolled to the door of the kitchen, opening it slightly to gaze at the vampires outside.

"Good…all that's left is that last waitress and that guy." Frowning, Kaoru peered over his shoulder, eyes falling on dozens of people dancing and drinking. As her gaze focused on a strangely stiff dancing couple, she froze, quickly darted through the wall and flared her aura, careful to keep it away from both the blond and Yumi's table. No aura responded and she gulped, disgust beginning to turn her stomach as the realisation crept up on her.

_'No no no…it can't be…'_

Battousai frowned when Kaoru failed to return after a few minutes. Yumi had remained silent, only responding to his obvious flirting in attempts to get her to speak. A strange tug on his soul made his eyes narrow at the table in front of him.

"Ah well…that waitress isn't back yet. I think I'll go see where she is…" At his distracted goodbye, Yumi looked up and nodded before returning to sip at her drink, a strange smile on her face. Suspicion niggling at his senses, he stood and turned, just in time to see Kaoru's silver aura flare across the room, washing over the dancing and drinking vampires.

His own aura instinctively reached out and entangled with hers, urging him to find her and claim her for his own. Shaking his head, he began strolling back to their table before he realised what was wrong. Eyes narrowing, he laid a hand on the nearest vampire, watching dispassionately as the figure crumbled away under his hand.

_'They're dead…'_

Kaoru suddenly appeared in front of him and she nodded at his mental statement, the moss green spirals of disgust slowly creeping up her aura as the corpses began to randomly fall to pieces…

"So you've noticed have you? Oh well…I suppose I'll just have to kill you too…"

Fin!

Oo! Oo! Guess what! I got my first (and rather anticlimactic) flame! (flame burns merrily away)

Now! Onto happier things! MY MUCH LUFFED REVIEWS! Grins insanely

Aya45 : will do! It's not exactly…quick…but I tried to get it out ASAP…stupid writers block growls at the ominous but slowly crumbling block Thank you for reviewing! LUFF YOU!

Reignashii: Lol, thanks for the review! Hope ya like this chapter

Loveywhatever: Thanks! Apparently a lot of people liked that part where it was from Batt's view…do ya think I should put it Kaoru's point of view? If I did…it's probably be sometime in the next few chapters…hmm…whaddya think?

( ) : love you too:)

Kaori-Angel: Lol, yeah, a BIT! Doesn't stop him from being a possessive lil' vamp does it? Thanks! I love Sano too…not as much as Batt's, but I think he's cool! (plus I love the fish bone!) WoOt, GIRLS SHALL RULE THE WORLD! And it's true! If it weren't for us, the world wouldn't be populated and life as we know it (for humans at least) would die! SO HA! (oh…bi the way, I go to an all-girls school so I'm a bit of a feminist…:P lol)

Tameka-tanuki-jouchan: thank you! I tried to get it out ASAP, hope you didn't mind the wait! As I said to Kaori-Angel in my reviewer response (in chap.6) I like Kaoru with a back bone…don't you?

Jewelle2: thanks for the review!

Cyjj: tried to do so! Hope you like this chap!

Shears: lol, yeah, that's always a good thing! Sense is very good…too bad I don't have any :P (lame I know, but I'm hyper!) Thanks for the review

Brigitte: duly noted, and as I am practically fashion-police-phobic (thanks to my lovely little albino (not really but it ticks her off :P) friend…long story…) I shall try my best to pray to whatever deities watch over this particular fanfic writer that this chapter holds up to your standards!

Steph:) Thnx, I asked another person this, but do you think I should have a chapter later on, same event but from Kaoru's POV? Aww, you aren't stupid! It was a bit confusing but I couldn't resist ending/starting it like that, with the whole Kaoru is talking to Yahiko but Batt's replies instead…yeah…I'm odd…lol, anyhoo! It's a good thing then, that you scrolled ALLLLLL the way down! I love your reviews, they make me so happy! Heh, tell me what ya think of this little (and annoyingly hard to type) chapter!

Livworld: A wonderful motto and I shall abide by it most…uh…heartily? Lol, thnx for the review:) :) :) :)(see!)

FFChick: I know isn't it? But I needed a reason (a good one) for why Kaoru hated Batt's into the deepest pits of hell…and well…that seemed to work! Do you think I should have the same events but from Kaoru's POV? It'd be a later chapter…but I wanna know if I should squeeze space in somewhere…whaddya think?

LOVE YA ALL! AND SORRY FOR THE DELAY!


	8. Ch8 Aquamarine Angst

Here ya go! Chappie eight, ready and awaiting your response! Sayonara!

Disclaimer:

Pain is red

Sorrow is blue

I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

And I'm guessing neither do you

* * *

Excerpt from chapter seven: Carmine Corpses: 

_His own aura instinctively reached out and entangled in hers, urging him to find her and claim her for his own. Shaking his head, he strolled back to their table before he realized what was wrong. Eyes narrowing, he laid a hand on the nearest vampire, watching dispassionately as the figure crumbled away under his hand. _

'They're dead…' 

_Kaoru suddenly appeared in front of him and she nodded at his mental statement, the moss green spirals of disgust slowly creeping up her aura as the corpses began to randomly fall to pieces…_

"_So you've noticed have you? Oh well…I suppose I'll just have to kill you too…"_

* * *

Yumi rose to her feet and waved a manicured hand at the blonde that had just entered the main room.

"Cho, take care of these fools and fix the corpses, Battousai and his little wench should be here soon!" Kaoru blinked in confusion before she realized Yumi still didn't know who they were. Battousai snorted and his hand went to the sword hanging off his belt,

"Why do you want Battousai?" Yumi laughed at his question and sat down again in her chair, swirling her drink around in the crystal wineglass.

"I don't want him dead, my Master does!" A strange smile appeared on her lips, and Kaoru could practically see the tiny hearts floating around the green haired woman's head.

"But now…I must go…Cho," the blonde drew out two of his swords and began walking towards the pair, "Good. Take care of them quickly, I'll be back soon to wait for Battousai and I want them dead before I return." Cho nodded, his eyes never leaving his prey even as Yumi disappeared in a bright red cloud smelling strongly of roses.

"Well she's gone…" Battousai looked at Kaoru when she spoke and he nodded, dropping his illusion. Kaoru followed suit, casting a sad glance at her wrists when the bracelets disappeared to be replaced by her arm guards, her quiet mutter audible throughout the now silent room.

"Aw…I liked those bracelets…" Battousai chuckled at her words and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, grinning when the scent of Cho's fear permeated the room.

"B-B-Battousai!" Battousai smirked and slid into his stance, flicking his sword out an inch from its sheath.

"Well, well, well…" Cho shivered but lunged at the red head, a worn battle cry ripping out of his throat. Instantly, Battousai pulled his sword out of the sheath and sent it whistling through the air, ripping through muscle and bone in an arc of steel. With a wince, Kaoru watched Cho's head roll to the ground and disappear into a pile of ash, the faint remnants of stolen blood on Battousai's sword and on the floor where the lifeless body had landed before deteriorating into ash.

"That was…quick…" Kaoru mused, prodding the pile of dust with her foot. Battousai nodded and returned the sword to his side.

"Too easy…he was either newly made or not living in the first place." Kaoru shrugged and withdrew one of the daggers hanging off his belt. Ignoring Battousai's questioning gaze, she walked to the table Yumi had sat at and began hacking away at the wood, tracing a moon into the surface.

"This is your sign right?" He smirked at her off handed question and his arms snaked around her waist, his mouth resting next to her ear,

"You remember?" Kaoru snorted and tried to pull away,

"Yeah…so what? LET GO OF ME!" Practically growling in anger, she finally managed to yank herself out of his grasp before returning to her artwork, overlapping the image with her own sign, a star.

"There…now I have to get to Misao…she's going to be worried when she wakes up." Battousai smirked and laced his arms around her waist again before Kaoru viciously pried them away.

"Going so soon Koishii?" Kaoru snorted and stalked out of the bar, sending out her aura in order to find the nearest Hellhole. Turning around the corner, she quickly located the portal and stepped into the center, flames sprouting up as she began moving her arms. Off to the side, Battousai watched in amusement (and a little bit of lust) as she began to slowly weave the spell, her lithe body twisting and turning in some arcane dance. It seemed his little Kitten needed to dance to release her magic…Battousai himself just needed to concentrate, Hiko having effectively smashed the need to perform an action out of him at a young age.

Her body stopped and her arms lifted into the air, the pentagram at her feet mimicking her actions. Slightly irritated, Battousai took a step forward but she was gone before his hand could land on her arm. Cursing the fact he had been so distracted by her movements, he angrily turned and took a few steps before his wings burst out of his back and he lifted up into the air, he needed to make sure the guards recognized what was his…

_I'll be back for you Koishii…just you wait…_

* * *

Kaoru sighed and waited for her entire body to appear before stepping out of the slowly dying embers of her spell. Yawning, she stretched for a second before darting off towards the apartment she shared with Misao. Reaching the door in a minute's time, she forcefully gave a mental shove on her instincts, wincing as her previously comfortable fangs slid into her gums with a burst of pain.

"Ouch…" Briefly wondering about their reluctance to return, she skipped happily down the hallway and got into the elevator. As the doors slid open on her floor, she frowned, her still sensitized nose picking up a faint floral scent. No one on this floor had the strangest mix of roses and blood…only one person, well, vampire, fit that description.

Eyes widening, her fangs immediately lengthened again and she slammed the door open, her aura flaring out to seek Misao's own bubbly presence. Frowning, Kaoru unhesitatingly voiced a call into the silent apartment.

"Misao!" No answer. Sniffing around, she found herself wandering into her absent roomies' bedroom, her nose picking up the vivid scent of bloody roses. Sapphire eyes narrowed as they fell on the white envelope sitting innocently on the edge of the bed and she gently picked it up, holding it delicately between her nails as she scanned it for any spells. Not sensing any enchantments, she opened it and scanned over the message emotionlessly.

Just as silently, she turned and left the apartment, the letter drifting down to the carpeted floor, the curly red cursive stark against the white of the paper,

_WE HAVE HER_

* * *

The door swung open easily under her mental shove and she strode in, wings flaring out behind her in anger before they vanished. The dark shadow sitting at one of the tables smirked and waved a manicured hand.

"Kaoru, darling. How nice to see you!" Kaoru didn't reply, only glaring in response. Yumi pouted and rose to her feet, one hand holding her off the shoulder robes from touching the floor and the other cradling her cheek in amusement.

"No hello? Oh well, down to business then!" Yumi waved at the empty tavern, "I waited here ALL day, hoping you'd come after you killed Derek, but you didn't show up! So I had to resort to…other measures." Kaoru snarled in anger and her fangs glinted in the sparse candle light. Yumi laughed but quickly fell silent when the scent of another vampire drifted into the tavern,

"Yumi, this is her? Battousai's spawn?" Yumi nodded at the deep voice's words and quickly sat back down, her hands falling into her lap. "Very well, get the human." Yumi nodded again and scurried off into the kitchen to obey the bodiless voice's command, returning instantly with a struggling Misao in her grasp.

"Hey! Let go of me you blood sucking dead freaks!" Her aquamarine orbs landed on Kaoru and she shrugged, "no offense Kao" Kaoru smirked and flicked her long ponytail over her shoulder,

"None taken Misao. Now…give her back!" The deep voice erupted into a laugh but the bearer of the scent still remained in the shadows.

"Now now…Kitten is it? We can't just hand her over to you…oh no…" Kaoru could almost feel the smirk that appeared on their face before he spoke again, "you have to give us something in return…a bargain." Kaoru glared but leant against the door frame,

"What do you want?" Another dark chuckle echoed around the room

"I want many things…but at the moment…_you_" As soon as the word left his mouth, Misao began to flail angrily,

"NO WAY IN HELL KAORU! DON'T DO IT!" Misao smirked, a sudden arrogant calmness settling on her features, "It's not like they can kill me because I'm their bargaining chip." Yumi shook her head slowly and her fangs began to lengthen threateningly,

"We can't kill you…but there are some things MUCH worse than death." Misao let out a barely audible whimper at her words and Yumi laughed, scraping her fangs against the girl's pale neck teasingly. All the anger drained out of Kaoru's expression and she took a instinctive step forward, her hand twitching as if she wanted to reach out a grab Misao from their clutches. The unknown voice laughed again and a large black leather collar landed on the ground, followed quickly by a pair of arm braces made of the same material.

"Put them on if you don't want your friend to suffer the consequences Kitten." Kaoru hissed but obligingly knelt down and scooped up the accessories. Immediately after she pressed the leather to her arms, a row of silver buckles appeared, tightening until there was no chance whatsoever of Kaoru pulling the guard off.

Growling, she held out her now bound arm, gesturing to Misao,

"Hand her over and I'll put on the collar." Yumi paused for a minute,

"Give us your word." Kaoru sighed and reached up to prick her finger on her fang, smearing the blood on the ground in front of her in a makeshift star.

"I swear by the Black Star that I, Kaoru, also known as Sapphire, childe of Lord Battousai, heiress to the Shadow realm, will place this collar around my neck and obey any spells that may accompany it WHEN Misao, claimed by Ao- the royal guard known as Ice and by myself, is set free to go to a location that pleases her and will not be influenced further by you or your kin." After her eloquent speech finished, Kaoru bowed her head and allowed a final drop of blood to fall directly in the center of the star. At her actions, Yumi nodded and released Misao, who quickly ran to Kaoru's side.

"Kao! No don't go!" Kaoru rolled her eyes playfully and scooted Misao out the door with a firm hand.

"You know you can do nothing here except get hurt. I put you in this situation by living with you so I have to take the responsibility for my actions. Go to the palace Misao and ask for Ice…you'll be able to recognize him, trust me" Misao nodded fearfully and left, refusing to take her eyes off of her vampryic roommate until well after the door had swung shut.

Inside the tavern, Kaoru sighed and picked up the lone piece of leather, tugging inquisitively at the high collar of her leather vest.

"Um…excuse oh you bodiless bastard…how do you and your little petal princess over there expect me to put a collar on with a turtle neck?" Yumi stepped forward after a silent urging and handed her a piece of dark sapphire cloth. Suspicious, Kaoru didn't touch it until the vampire groaned and waved her hand in the air, tracing the outline of a flower with six petals with swirls of rose petals that followed in the wake of her sweeping hand.

"I swear on the Flower of Six that this shirt is not spelled in any way shape or form and will not harm or inconvenience you." Soothed by the oath, Kaoru reached out and grabbed it, turning around to unbuckle the leather vest before sliding the given shirt over her head. Glancing down at herself, Kaoru frowned at the midnight blue shirt that now adorned her slim figure. The shirts fabric and the material of her pants didn't match and, while the colours did look good together, the shirt didn't cover much, ending just beneath her chest and left her shoulders and arms bare except for two puffy little sleeves attached to her arms.

After staring at the innocent looking choker, delaying the evitable, the star on the ground pulsed bright silver and Kaoru flinched, quickly wrapping the collar around her neck in order for the buckles to do themselves up. She had sworn an oath on her sign and her title and now her sign was warning her that it was getting impatient.

A vampire's sign was like an image of their soul. Different shapes and images had different meanings to show a vampire's powers and attitude. To fail an oath made upon ones sign would ultimately destroy them, even though many humans had believed that vampires, were-creatures and ghouls didn't have souls, being dead and/or half human. The truth was that a human's soul was not complex enough to contain the power needed for transformations and magic, so when they were converted, their human soul was altered and changed into one of a supernatural being. To kill that soul would be like taking cutting off a human's arms and legs. They would still live…but they would be a shell of their former self, unable to use their powers and the natural inherent magic all supernatural creatures were made up of. The lack of magic would slowly drive them insane until they killed themselves in the most painful of ways.

As the last clip snapped into place, Kaoru's thoughts were thrown back into her present situation. As the world began to turn fuzzy at the corners and black teased the edges of her vision, she frowned and growled, her hands going up to her neck to instinctively pry the leather off. The last thing she saw before her world succumbed to the darkness was Yumi's pleased face looming above her and the overwhelming scent of the unknown man growing heavier.

* * *

Misao gasped, clutching the stitch in her side as she ran. Sliding to a stop in front of a giant metal gate, she furiously threw her body against it.

"LET ME IN!" Two guards materialized out of the shadows and gazed her curiously,

"Who are you?" Misao gaped at them but tried desperately to remember the names Kaoru had spewed out while trying to remember to keep her real name a secret,

"Um….call me Kunai! Uh, Kunai, c-claimed by the Royal guard Ice and Sapphire, childe of Lord…Lord…Battousai! Heiress to the Shadow realm and um…" unable to remember anymore Misao glanced up pleadingly at the guards,

"PLEASE! I need to get in!" One guard began to wave up at a large tower before the other stopped him,

"How can we be sure she is really claimed by the Lady Sapphire? Or by Captain Ice? She doesn't even look were and she can't possibly be a vampire because she's touching the gate." The first guard lowered his arm and stroked his chin with long fingers.

"You're right, not to mention the fact that we only met Lady Sapphire this morning…I still remember Lord Battousai flying overhead and threatening us to remember her but how can we be sure?" Misao nearly sobbed but furiously began throwing her body against the gates.

"I NEED to see Ice! NOW!"

"Let her in" The two debating soldiers turned and hastily saluted to the tall vampire that had appeared behind them. Against the gate, Misao had slid down to the ground, her face buried in her arms as she held back loud sobs. Instead of falling backwards as expected when the gates swung open, a pair of strong arms swung her up into a tight hold.

"Kunai was it?" There was amusement heavy in the tone and Misao peered up through tear covered lashes at the strangers face. Immediately, she twisted violently and pulled herself out of his arms before screaming at her long lost fiancée, tears running down her face.

"LET G-GO OF M-M-ME!" Slightly shocked but not showing it, Aoshi calmly reached forward and firmly encased the girl in his arms.

"Misao, calm down." Slowly the girl subsided and Aoshi gently tugged the girl over to a nearby bench, the same one, in fact, that he and Kaoru had sat on.

"Why are you here Misao? To claim a title like that is dangerous." Misao hiccupped; reminding herself to rant at him later and quickly turned her thoughts onto a more pressing problem.

"K-K-Kaoru! She's gone! Some vampire kidnapped me and used me as ransom, she went on with some oath and promised to wear this collar a-a-and she t-told me to run h-h-here and g-get Ice…" Her words trailed off into heavy choked coughs and Aoshi calmly rubbed circles on her back,

"Calm down Misao, now tell me what the vampire looked like." Misao nodded and closed her eyes, recalling the image of the woman that had unhesitatingly strode into her apartment and knocked her out with a well placed blow.

"She had dark hair…and red eyes…used flowers and some guy called her Yumi…" Aoshi frowned at the unfamiliar name and stood, heading towards the palace. Misao quickly got her feet and stumbled after him, violently wiping away the remaining tears.

"W-Where are we going?"

"We're going to my Lord and Master…and Kaoru's creator, Lord Battousai" Misao nodded and sniffled a few times before regaining her composure,

"Do you think he can help?" Aoshi's lips twitched up into a barely noticeable smirk and he silently nodded. Misao fell silent as well and turned to gaze up at her former fiancée…well, technically the engagement had never been broken… shaking her head to rid herself of her traitorous thoughts (she was supposed to be mad at him!) she focused her attention on the giant door they were quickly approaching.

With a light push from the giant man beside her, the door swung open and they stepped into the cool marble hallway. Amazed, Misao stared up at the large tapestries that hung on the walls between giant windows, sometimes made up of stain glass scenes depicting all of the Shadow species. Pausing at a black door, Aoshi knocked and announced his name to the vampire that stuck his head through the door.

Seconds later the door opened and they stepped in, Aoshi falling down into a kneel, leaving Misao standing there stupidly. A low chuckled issued from the large throne at the opposite side of the room and Battousai strode over to them, gazing at Misao in amusement.

"You're the one Kaoru-koi claimed?" he smirked, "Ahh, now I remember, you were in her apartment." Misao bit her lip but nodded swiftly. Battousai grinned and gestured for Aoshi to rise,

"What is your business here Aoshi?" Aoshi gave a half bow and laid a hand on Misao's shoulder,

"She has something to report about Kaoru milord." Eyebrow raised Battousai turned back to the tiny girl,

"Kaoru-koi? What about her?" Misao swallowed and her gaze fell to the floor as she recounted the events of the night,

"I was kidnapped and taken to some bar here…Kaoru came and they threatened to turn me if she didn't put on a pair of armguards and a collar…" her words trailed off for a second but came back with a renewed sense of urgency as she gazed up into the amber orbs pleadingly, "she made me leave and put them on! She told me to run here and tell Aoshi what had happened! She's in trouble! You have to help her!"

"Who took her?" Aoshi spoke now,

"Misao said it was a vampire named Yumi" Immediately Battousai's jaw tensed and his hands curled up into tight fists.

"Yumi?" Aoshi nodded and barely managed to throw Misao to the ground and cover her body with his own before a wave of pure power burst from the red-haired man standing in the middle of the room. Suddenly he froze and turned to stare at the tiny girl in Aoshi's arms.

"You" Misao glanced up, "You're human. How are you here?" Misao blinked and sat up when Aoshi pulled himself to his feet.

"I don't know…they brought me here." With barely restrained anger, Battousai stormed over and hauled the girl up by the front of her shirt,

"Did they give you anything?" Misao nodded and fished in her pocket to bring out a small black ball no bigger than a marble. Placing a finger on the orb, Battousai tensed even further. Curious, Aoshi reached out to take the marble before he was violently cut off by Battousai's hand.

"Don't take it away from her…it is what keeps her alive." Yelping, Misao hurriedly stuffed in back in her pocket, zippering it shut to keep the orb safe.

"What do you mean, keeping me alive?" Battousai waved his hand impatiently,

"It is a pure orb of someone's aura, a link to darkness. In this world, no pure being can exist and compared to us, tiny human, you are like the holiest of priestesses." Misao shuddered and took an instinctive step back, accidentally knocking into Aoshi's chest.

"So if I lose this, I'm going to…?" She trailed off into a question and Battousai smirked,

"Slowly get torn apart, particle by particle until the darkness consumes you and you turn into a mindless blob of evil energy, content on sucking the life out of anyone who steps foot near you. Now, onto more serious matters…" Misao pouted at the slight but listened attentively to what the vampire lord was saying,

"Now, I am going to hunt down who ever thought they could get away with touching what is mine, Aoshi, you are to guide this girl around until Kaoru is returned and can adequately protect her. Do not travel into the mortal realms and do not let her out of your sight. Understood?" Aoshi nodded and watched as the man stalked out of the room, practically radiating tightly reigned anger.

"Misao, follow me."

* * *

"Get up!" Wearily, Kaoru opened her eyes, cursing as a bright light nearly blinded her.

"What the hell?" There was a sharp kick delivered to her stomach and she curled up, still trying to get a grasp on what was happening, "W-Wha?" Above her there was a groan of exasperation and a small hand descended on her shoulder.

"Rise and shine Princess." Kaoru rolled her eyes but flipped gracefully to her feet, landing in front of a short haired girl who was looking decidedly irate.

"What is it?" The annoyed girl glared at her and rolled her eyes,

"Come on, apparently our _lord_," Kaoru nearly winced at the blatant sarcasm but the girl continued, "wants to see you." Eyebrows rising, Kaoru obediently followed the girl down a dingy hallway, taking in the girl's ragged appearance.

She was wearing a red kimono type shirt, the front open to reveal her breast bindings, with a purple sash winding around her waist. The sash tied in the front and hung down to her knees, making a nice contrast against the beige pants and brown wrappings that went from foot to knee. Similar brown wrappings were on her forearms and a white wrapping wound around her head, covering her short brown hair. The ends of the headdress trailed down to a point a little further than her back and Kaoru briefly wondered how she managed to wrap the entire thing on everyday.

The ends of the bandages swirled around and the owner glared at her, her brown eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"What are you looking at?" After taking a quick glance at the three pins stuck into the front of the head wrap, Kaoru unhesitatingly voiced a question into the expectant air,

"Who are you, where am I, who is this lord person and what are you going to do to me?" The girl looked up at her, amusement in her eyes.

"Don't ask a lot of questions do you? I'm Shura, you're at my old warehouse before I was enslaved, no one knows and I have no bloody idea." Kaoru nodded and flicked her loose hair over her shoulder,

"Do you have a ribbon?" Shura snorted and handed over an elastic,

"Now hurry up, you took far too long to wake up." Kaoru grinned and tugged on arm guards.

"Anything to please his lord" Shura grinned at that but didn't slow their now frantic pace. Within seconds, both using their inhuman speed, they appeared in front of a large iron cast door, which promptly opened. Kaoru took a step forward, glancing back when Shura didn't follow but at her encouraging nod, continued on into the unlit room. Suddenly another beam of light fell on her eyes and she fought the urge to curse, blinking rapidly instead.

"Ah! You must be the ever lovely Kaoru I've been hearing so much about. My lord just loves to talk about you!" With a grimace, Kaoru looked up and gazed at the brown haired man.

"Just who the hell are you?" The man laughed and waved his gloved hand,

"You're late and that's not important…however, THIS is…" with a snap of his fingers, the door slammed shut and chains darted down from the ceiling to wrap Kaoru in a sturdy silver cocoon. "There! Isn't that better? Now you can't fight back!" Snarling at the man, Kaoru fought viciously against the chains, trying to reach far enough to possibly sink her teeth into the vile man's neck.

"Let me go!" The man shook his finger and drew out a small sparking bright red orb which promptly burst into flames. The man laughed, apparently perfectly comfortable with his hand on fire, and drew out a similar orb, this one black.

"Amazing how similar they look but have such different meanings…" With a firm toss of his head, he returned the black orb to his pocket and placed the fire orb against her collar, watching in delight as the equally fiery vampire arched in pain. "Well, well, this is more enjoyable than I thought!" he sighed, "but he did trust me to get a job done…" With that, he shoved the ball violently against the buckle of the collar, watching in satisfaction as it melted in.

"What d-did you d-do to me?" Kaoru's furious yell prompted the man into a fit of laughter.

"Don't worry Kaoru dear…just give it a moment…it'll soon settle in…" Kaoru glared at him,

"What are you talking about?" A sharp burst of pain darted up her spine and she winced, sinking her fangs into her lip. The man sighed at the sight of blood and his hand went down to his pocket protectively,

"You're fighting against it Kaoru darling, just let the spell win." Kaoru's eyes widened and she began to claw at her own skin, hoping to get rid of the chains, however in that spilt second when her attention wavered from the pain, the spell settled in. Slowly her eyes drifted shut and her head fell forward against her chest, blood trailing down her chin onto her blue shirt.

Breathing heavily, the man stepped forward and ran his finger against her collarbone, smearing the blood against his glove.

"Soon…soon…." He reached out and cradled her pale cheek in his hand, staring fixatedly at the two puncture wounds in her neck… "So soon now…"

* * *

Now wasn't that ending a weeeee bit creepy? (and crappy?) I mean, wow, its amazing what happens to your brain when you're babysitting…fun fun. I got a laptop! I'm so happy! I'm actually writing on it right now while the kid is sleeping…his mom should get here soon hopefully…hn…whatever… ANYWAY! Reviewer responses:

I'd like to say thank – you, luff ya lots to:

royal blue-Kitsune  
Aya45  
Reignashii  
Snow Leopard  
Loveywhatever  
Shears  
Iridescent Twilight  
ToHeLlWiThThEnIcKs  
Nilnil  
Demonwolf98  
Tameka-tanuki-jouchan  
Mary

Steph – Heh, thanks but sadly enough I couldn't find some colours that started with the right letter…and I was forced to find a website…it didn't help me much, but hey, it shows how sad and pitiful I'm getting eh? (lol :P) Anyhoo! Got any colours to suggest?

AnimeLCgrl – All-girl's school isn't actually that different amazingly enough, but I came from a tiny little neighbourhood so I grew up with most of the guys I went to school with…hmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with my ultimate disinterest in hot guys? (Excepting Jake Richardson! (Guy from Hangman's Curse…he's the epitome of hottie goodness!) and yes…there are snobs…sigh I'm one of the nerdy-goody-two-shoes-who's-friends-with-everyone-because-I-smile-too-much…lol :P

Kaori-Angel – AND EVERYTHING NICE! MWAHAHAHA! Boys are made of slugs and snails and puppy dog tails… mwehehehehehe (not as evil as mwAhAhA, but still evil enough to get the point across (and people say I'm sane!)). That was fun…as I said to AnimeLCgrl, an all-girls school isn't that much different from normal school (I think…hmm…nothing to compare to) anyhoo, glad you liked my chapter and I hope I keep up to expectations!

BradyBunch4529 – Thanks, such purdy words! I'm flattered that you think so! Hope this chapter is just as good or even better! ; )

Greenalterego – Heh, thanks...I think...:P lol, anyway, this is just for fun, I know some of this story sucks, but I'm proud of parts of it and yeah...sigh even I'll admit Kaoru bitten by possessive Batts IS pretty cliche (cries)but I'll do my best eh:P Anyhoo! Loved the constructive critisism and I hope I can add some twists to it, any suggestions? Mwah. Please review again! (a.k.a me begging for you to stop me from falling TOO deeply in the pits of clichedness)


	9. Ch9 Navy Naivety

After an annoyingly long absence of my much be-luffed muse, here is chapter nine!

Disclaimer:

My internet is PMS-ing

And so is my muse

But since I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

That's nothing new

* * *

Excerpt from Chapter 8: Aquamarine Angst: 

"_You're fighting against it Kaoru darling, just let the spell win." Kaoru's eyes widened and she began to claw at her own skin, hoping to get rid of the chains, however in that spilt second when her attention wavered from the pain, the spell settled in. Slowly her eyes drifted shut and her head fell forward against her chest, blood trailing down her chin onto her blue shirt. _

_Breathing heavily, the man stepped forward and ran his finger against her collarbone, smearing the blood against his glove._

"_Soon…soon…." He reached out and cradled her pale cheek in his hand, staring fixatedly at the two puncture wounds in her neck… "So soon now…"_

* * *

Battousai nearly growled at the fourth vampire to stop his path through the courtyard, simply deciding to throw the unfortunate vampire into a nearby tree. With all the interruptions and requests for things, it seemed like the whole Shadow Realm was against him getting Kaoru back! An angered growl escaped his lips and he let his wings emerge, flapping them a couple of time before setting off into the sky. Within minutes, the familiar twinge of power made him realize that he had found the nearest Hellhole and he dove through the sky. 

Landing, he took two steps, folded back his wings and opened the Hellhole, watching emotionlessly as his sign rose up around his form, unconsciously summoning up the memory of Kaoru's enticing dance. Shaking his head, he waiting until his was fully materialized in the human world before stalking down to the place he had first caught up with his fiery little princess.

It had taken a decade, but he **had **found her. After she had run from her first house, she had kept one step ahead of him, always switching apartments before he found out her old address. She had known he was coming after her and yet she had still run! He found it infuriating how quickly she ran from him, even now, even after he had saved her life from Derek (if Kaoru had heard this, he was sure she would scoff and stalk away, her hips swaying distractingly.) Glancing down at the curb he was standing on, he knelt down and took a hesitant sniff, hoping their combined scents were still there.

Fortunately, they were and he followed his nose back to her office where Aoshi's female's, (Misao was it?) scent was also present. With Kaoru's absence, the wards seemed to be gone and he happily strolled into her workplace, glancing at the dust free surfaces and gleaming tile. She seemed to have made it well for herself.

A light cough pulled his thoughts away from his Kaoru and he turned to gaze at the blushing secretary, who cleared her throat again before awkwardly speaking,

"Excuse me sir, but you need to have permission to go into the offices." He smirked and leaned on her mahogany desk, glancing down into her bright (too bright for his tastes) blue (not blue enough for him) eyes (which were no where near as pretty as Kaoru's…) and smiled disarmingly,

"Oh, I apologize!" Letting his violet eyed persona push forward, his usual strict manner became more laid back and his tense muscles loosened enough to look innocent and totally incapable of harming a puppy. In reality, his amber eyed vampryic self was just beneath the surface and still in total control, willing to kill anyone who stood in his way.

"It's okay sir, just tell me the name of who you'd like to see." He smiled and shook his head,

"I'm afraid she's not in." The secretary lifted an eyebrow,

"Then I'm afraid you can't go up. Only the business men, women and their families may go up without express permission." He grinned charmingly again,

"Oh! But I'm her husband!"

* * *

Dark brown eyes glanced around the corner and Shura quickly darted down the hallway as fast as she could. Sliding to a stop in front of small blue door, she opened it and, after running through the change rooms without pausing, plunged into the pool, sighing happily as the cool water lapped against her skin. Carefully, she un-wrapped the bandages from around her arms and looked at the blue spirals that crawled up her arms from wrist to elbow before removing her head piece, shaking her hair after it was freed from the confining area.

Diving to the bottom of the pool, she happily grabbed the nearby ladder and pushed herself around until she was sitting on the bottom tiles of the pool. A sigh escaped her lips and she laughed in delight as the water rushed around her form, cradling her, protecting her. The water had always been her friend, helping her ship sail across the sea, saving her she had been thrown overboard by fellow pirates, and healing her when her battered body smashed up against the shore.

That was where _he_ had found her, held in the tides embrace. She had thought he was kind, helping out a poorgirl like herself...butshe quickly realized_He _knew exactly was she was and had quickly tossed her in a normal room…without water. After three weeks of drifting on its comforting arms, to be so violently torn away quickly slaughtered any form of resistance and she had given in, drawing her sign on the floor in the first bit of water she could get her hands on. The simple three wave design was quickly absorbed into the wood and she was officially imprisoned in this building, away from the waves she called friends and the tide she called home.

The door slammed shut and she glanced up, peering through the water as a slightly blurry blob walked to the edge of the pool where the maintenance box was and briefly disappeared from view as they leant over the filter to the pool.

After they left the room, Shura pushed herself off of the floor and began swimming to the surface, mindlessly speaking her thoughts to the water around her,

"What do you suppose they were doing?" A sudden current knocked her off course and she glanced around herself, peering into the water to find out what it was worried around.

"What is it?" Another push and she looked towards the water filters, watching in horror as a strange red cloud issued out, mixing with the water as it floated closer to her. Quickly the water surrounded her in a protective cocoon, keeping the red cloud away from her.

A sudden sharp pain erupted in her neck and she screamed, agony racing through her body as the fire tore through her muscles and bones. Slowly her limbs became unresponsive and the water swirled around the dart in her neck, drawing out the poison easily. However, with the water taking care of her new injury, the red cloud continued to drift closer, brushing against her face with swirling red fingers before darting into her mouth. Seconds later, her eyes fluttered shut and her lifeless body drifted down to the bottom of the pool, the water carrying her motionless form to the ground where it lay her down, seemingly waiting for her to move again.

* * *

With a smirk Battousai stepped into Kaoru's office, closing the door behind him before he threw himself down into the chair, relaxing in her scent that permeated the entire room. Shaking his head, he quickly slid open a drawer and rifled through it, occasionally holding up an object and glancing at it more carefully. He needed to find something that was linked to her, something personal that had been around her long enough for her aura to sink into it. Whatever they had done to his Kaoru had cut off her aura, making him unable to see the usual pillar of silver light that symbolized her spirit's magic and unable to contact her in any way. 

Just as he found a scarf that might have worked, the door swung open and a brown haired man strolled in, toothpick held between his teeth.

"Oi Jou-chan! Can I borrow…" his statement trailed off and he scratched his head nervously. "Oh, sorry…I guess I'll go now…didn't know Jou-chan had visitors…" He looked harder at the man sitting in Kaoru's chair and his eyes widened, "Wait a minute! You're Battousai!" Battousai smirked and rose to his feet, glancing at the vampire,

"You're that Tan Harpy fool" Sano nodded and Battousai sneered in disgust before (a totally unrelated) realization hit him, "her house…" Without a further word, he pushed past the babbling vampire and strode out of the building, heading for Kaoru's apartment.

Opening the door was a simple task, a flick of his mind shifting the tumblers in the lock. Waiting for the door to swing open, he let his eyes take in the tastefully decorated apartment. After walking into the building, he allowed his fingers to brush against various items that were placed around the room.

A room practically reeking of spells caught his attention and he peered into the room, gazing at the piles of books and herbs scattered around the mini study. An open tome caught his attention and he sauntered over to the desk, throwing himself down in the chair before focusing on the spine of the book.

"Inherent spells and castings of the vampire kind…Kitten has some interesting tastes it seems…" casting his gaze to the bookmarked page, his breath caught in his throat before expelling in an anger growl. On the thick parchment paper in front of him, the words "HOW TO REMOVE A MARK" were bolded, creating a sharp contrast against the white page. Suppressing his anger, he quickly read the following paragraphs, immediately scoffing at some of the suggestions.

Slightly mollified by the ridiculousness of the spells, Battousai couldn't help but feel another surge of angry possessiveness shoot through his veins. She had tried to get rid of his mark…

Shaking his head decisively, he stood and strode out of the study, heading towards the room that was clearly Kaoru's place of occupation. Entering the room, he was suddenly struck by the realization that she had to deal with the mortal realm. Heavy black drapes covered the windows, reinforced by sheets of tin foil literally stapled onto the window frame.

Dark blues and purples were prominent, further darkening the room until it looked like some cave, candles scattered on various clear surfaces. A mini fridge drew his attention and he peered into it, grabbing one of the many packets of blood. Shrugging, he sank his fangs into the thick plastic blood bag and continued his stroll around the room, happily digesting his impromptu snack.

"Now…to find something to link…" Closing his eyes, he cast his aura into the room, searching for the thing that felt most like his vampire princess. A sharp bolt of silver pierced his mind and he reeled, blinking furiously as he tried to regain his senses. Regaining his composure, he followed his instincts to the bedside table until he found himself staring down at a tiny grey and black kitten.

Reaching out, he lifted the stuffed animal and peered at it, wondering why she had such an attachment to such a childish icon. Dismissing it to another one of Kaoru's decidedly adorable quirks, he felt the rush of protectiveness run through his veins for the second time since he'd stepped foot in her apartment.

The steady pounding of a heartbeat reached his ears and he instinctively melted into the shadows of Kaoru's lair before traveling out into the main room.

"Raccoon? Weasel girl? Are either of you here? Misao, if you are, you're supposed to be resting so I'd better find you in bed!" The dark haired mortal shuffled into the room across from Kaoru's and sighed. "Figures I wouldn't find that silly weasel in bed, sleeping soundly…" Flicking a stray strand of hair back over her shoulder, the woman turned and closed the door before making her way over to Kaoru's room and the mini fridge.

As she opened the fridge, Battousai noticed the small purse hanging off her shoulder, which was quickly revealed to contain more packets of blood. Wondering who would have known about Kaoru's….affliction, he followed her back out in the main room, watching as her cinnamon eyes took in the apartment.

Suddenly, those brown eyes locked on the spot he was standing and he froze as a wave of heat washed over him, followed by a sudden wave of ice. His eyes glinted and his aura automatically shielded him more thoroughly. The woman frowned, a small crease appearing between on her forehead, before she blinked, rubbed her eyes and sighed.

"Seeing things again…I need more sleep…" With that, she turned and opened the door, leaving a tiny note on the counter a notice of her visit. Before she could completely disappear, Battousai threw a tendril of golden aura light at her, watching as it stretched into a thin net as it fell and covered her body. The door began closing after her but it wasn't fast enough to cover the translucent tail that had appeared for a brief second before disappearing.

Amber eyes narrowing, Battousai listened for the definite sound of the lock grating shut before reappearing in the living room, still staring hard at the door.

"Kitten has some interesting friends…that she does…"

* * *

Yumi strode impatiently into the room, one hand holding up the edge of her kimono, the other tapping a rose against her lips. 

"Well?" The brown haired man turned and adjusted his glasses, smirking as he did so.

"Well what Yumi?" Yumi rolled her eyes but bowed her head slightly, rose disappearing with the action,

"Well Lord Kanryu?" Kanryu laughed and waved his hand flippantly,

"It is done. The girl is spelled. Now, what I want to know is how you got the wench to agree to wear the conductors. She's a wild cat that one…did you use a spell? Or some kind of thrall?" Yumi sighed and propped her hand up on her hip.

"Pure and simple, I invoked the ancient ritual of…" her voice rose dramatically and she placed the back of her hand on her forehead in a fake swoon, "blackmail!" She gasped sarcastically and glared at the man in front of her. "Of course, it was involving a certain little human roommate of hers. With that blue haired brat in my hands, Kaoru gave in immediately and put them on, even going as far as to accept any spells that were attached. So caught up in her panic and fear for that little weasel's mortality that she didn't even TRY to escape at all. Her being Battousai's spawn means she would have been easily able to finish me off with a flick of her wrist."

"Really? That's it? Wouldn't she have been able to sense the conductors? Or Restraint spells?" Yumi rolled her eyes again,

"Of course she did, but she wasn't about to let the little weasel get hurt because of her." Kanryu practically shuddered,

"Ugh, a conscience, how horrible" Yumi shrugged and waved her hand in the air, rose restored with a poof of smoke,

"Whatever. I have to say it made it easier though. Without restraint spell that vampire princess of ours would have been a pain in the ass to deal with. Now, at least, she doesn't have any control over her powers except what we allow."

"That helps the conductor too right?" Yumi nodded at Kanryu's question and waved the rose around as she spoke,

"Yes, of course it does! With the restraint she couldn't fight against placing more spells on her, but the conductors make it easier for foreign magic to make an impact on her body. Not to mention they help keep the spell alive so we don't have to recast it when it wears out." Kanryu was about to nod when loud screams began to echo through the hallway.

"Seems something exciting is going on…hmm, shall we go see?" Yumi ignored the arm he held out and shook her head.

"I must go Kanryu, other business calls." Kanryu tutted almost inaudibly but Yumi heard it and swept a deep curtsy with a sarcastic, "My apologies LORD Kanryu, but I must leave your wonderful presence immediately!" She disappeared just before Kanryu burst out laughing at his power over the rose vampiress and strode out of the room to investigate.

* * *

Ugh…sorry about this chapter and it's shortness but the ideas for the fight scene just won't come and I've been reading some AWESOME RK fics that make mine pale pathetically in comparison….which leads me to realize how bad my writing really is. So now I'm trying to think more before I write and once again, I'm adjusting the plot…sigh Anyway, I decided not to keep this particular chapter with me any longer 'cause I know it's not going to get any better. So here it is, I'm sticking this chapter out and begging for criticism, something I sorely need so if there's any part of the story that doesn't flow well, please tell me! 

I LUV YOU ALL!

Jewelle2 – Don't worry, I think everyone hates cliffhangers but I'm sorry for taking so long to update…

Iridescent Twilight – Ugh… your review totally brought me back to reality…thank you so MUCH! I explained them, rather poorly, in this chapter and I hope you get the basic gist of it…if you don't tell me and I'll probably just cut them out all together. Don't you hate it when, as an author, you add something in with a brilliant idea in mind but then totally forget the fact that everyone else who's reading it can't read your mind so you don't explain it properly?

AnimeLCgrl – Yeah, I was trying to keep that as a theme, you know, the whole opposites-attract thing…or something like that…hmmmm :P Lol. With the Misao-marble thing there is a twist coming up in the next few chapters or so! I actually LIKE this twist but I have a feeling that I'll severely mess it up or something…hehe I was also planning on going more into Misao's feelings this chapter (since your review made me think about that a lot) but I never got a chance too so you'll have to wait until next chapter but I totally agree…I would feel like sht… Yeah…you also brought my attention to the whole fact I was trying to make Kaoru independent then I do something like that (making her submit too easily)…sigh all my wonderful plans are falling apart! But I hope this chapter cleared a FEW things up…whaddya think?

Ann - thanks, after I got your review I was like, whoa, I have a story don't I? I tried to add more (like some Misao/Aoshi stuff) but my inspiration just…died. Like hit-by-a-bus-struck-by-lightning-and-attacked-with-a-chainsaw-wielding-maniac dead… I'm changing the plot line I have now a bit because it was just too long and intricate (I don't have that much of an attention span :P) so I'm trying to figure that out before I REALLY introduce the plot…next chapter hopefully I'll have everything figured out!

Steph

Reignashii

Sims are awesome

Royal BlueKitsune

Bradybunch4529

Kaori-Angel

Mary

So-kun

Demonwolf98

Reader-kikilala

Spark the light master

Shadow-5-girl


	10. Ch10 Azure Anger

You probably all hate me, but like I said on my profile, I'm gonna FOCUS!

Disclaimer: Misao is aqua

Kaoru is blue

I don't own RK

And we all know it's true

"_Seems something exciting is going on…hmm, shall we go see?" Yumi ignored the arm he held out and shook her head. _

"_I must go Kanryuu, other business calls." Kanryuu tutted almost inaudibly but Yumi heard it and swept a deep curtsy with a sarcastic, "My apologies LORD Kanryuu, but I must leave your wonderful presence immediately!" She disappeared just before Kanryuu burst out laughing at his power over the rose vampiress and strode out of the room to investigate. _

"Slave! What is going on?" Kaoru sighed and glanced down at the remains of the soldier who had rather crudely groped her in front of his fellow Werewolves. Kanryuu followed her gaze and a hint of disgust and lust mixed together appeared in his eyes at the sight of the blood creeping across the floor. Turning to Kaoru, Kanryuu firmly shook his head and grinned,

"What have I said about killing soldiers?" Kaoru rolled her eyes and refused to reply. Something was off, Kanryuu mused, before he caught sight of her bloodied hands and frowned. "How did you kill him? I expressly forbid you earlier from touching other creatures in this facility." Kaoru smirked, showing off crimson stain canines as well,

"I can't control my instinct Kanryuu," she winced at the shock that ran through her veins, "I mean, LORD Kanryuu…and if I can't control them…what makes you think you can?" The hellish gleam in her eyes made him take an instinctive step back and she lunged forward, snapping her teeth centimetres in front of his nose. With a grin of amusement, she watched as he screamed and slipped on the pool of blood to fall to the floor and her feet.

She knew she was being sadistic but at the moment, she really didn't give a damn about manners or anything of the sort.

"Listen closely Lord Kanryuu, as long as you don't touch me, I won't hurt you…well, as long as I have this thing on…" she tugged distastefully on the collar and shot him a glare that compacted the last four days of orders and humiliation into a single look of burning hatred. With that last parting glance, she spun on her heel and began stalking down the hallway, hoping to run into someone foolish enough to enrage her vampyric instincts.

Suddenly a large hand landed heavily on her shoulder and she spun, startled, fangs bared and eyes wild as her nails lengthened into razor sharp claws. Seeing it was only Kanryuu she shook her head. She was too tense if he had managed to surprise her…with a sigh of disgust she turned back to her original path and frowned before she reached up to carefully peel his fingers away from the death grip they had on her shoulder. Behind her the mortal wannabe-vampire squeaked, the scream caught in his throat as he stumbled backwards and watched as she flippantly dropped his severed hand on the floor.

Rage blossomed as fast as the numbness that was crawling up his arm and his remaining hand trembled on the grip of his blessed hand gun, complete with holy water and silver bullets.

"Y-You bitch!"

"You should have listened" Kanryuu froze. Those weren't Kaoru's soft melodic tones coming from behind him. Kaoru spun around, a look of relief on her face, and Kanryuu's dread deepened as a lightly tanned hand reached around and pried the gun out of his hand, crushing it carelessly in his palm before allowing the shattered bits and trickles of holy water to run to the floor.

Acting on impulse, Kanryuu ran forward, trying to grab Kaoru as a human shield, but forgot about his now dismembered arm and grasped air. Startled, the human stumbled forward and paused, staring at his stump in disbelief, as if he had just noticed it was gone.

The light chuckle resounded in the tiny hallway and Kanryuu swallowed heavily, closing his eyes as the famed crimson haired vampire lord leapt over his head and landed with a light thump somewhere in the hallway in front of him. Slowly, his eyelids lifted from the extended blink and he could only watch in horror as the red headed demon rose to his feet, golden eyes gleaming underneath blood red bangs. Whimpering, he fell backwards and tried to crawl away from the vampire watching him in amusement.

This demon was going to kill him.

"You're not even dead are you?" Kanryuu froze and his bloodied stump instinctively went to his touch his pocket where the small black orb hid. It was his one link to the underworld and if this _thing _got its hands on it, he would be destroyed within seconds.

Battousai, who had watched the automatic reaction, smirked and strode forward, placing his foot squarely on Kanryuu's chest, shoving the weak fool into the ground. One hand reached down and he ripped the entire pocket away, the orb clutched in his grasp. Kanryuu immediately grabbed onto his hand to remain in contact and was faced the awe inspiring anger of a vampire lord.

"Foolish mortal…" Snorting in disgust, his hand tightened and, in a flash of gold fire, the orb was gone. Kanryuu fell back to the ground, horror etched on his features.

"N-No!" His remaining hand literally _rippled_ and a small tendril of black ooze pierced through the bubbling skin, followed by others until Kanryuu's hand was nothing more than a waving mass of tentacles, slowly bursting out up his arm. The blood dripping out his stump of a hand turned black and he recoiled from the sight, screaming as a waving arm burst of his cheek, taunting him as it waved in front of his face.

Battousai watched his demise coldly, taking care to block Kaoru's view when the man's internal organs succumbed to the black curse. When it was over, the vampire took a step forward and prodded at the pile of translucent goop with a curious foot. The sludge rippled and latched onto his leg before it was burned away by golden fire under an impassive golden gaze.

"Well…that was…interesting" Kaoru's hesitant comment was strangely loud in the hallway and Battousai turned to her, his eyes falling on the collar.

"How do I get that thing off of your neck Kitten?" Apparently no situation was serious enough to stop the nicknames and Kaoru sighed before replying,

"I don't know. The idiot-" the collar flared and she gasped in pain before gritting her teeth together, "I mean Lord Kanryuu placed another spell on top of a conductor spell that was imbedded into the leather." Battousai shrugged and knelt down, running a slim finger against the fabric,

"As much as I like you in leather Kaoru-mine, I'm afraid this will have to go…" with that, he opened her mouth and ran the pad of his finger against her fang, slicing the skin open. Letting a few drops fall onto her tongue, he pressed the bloodied finger against the constraint, watching as it literally burned the leather off of her skin. After repeating the process on the armguards, he rose to his feet and wiped the blood smudged finger on his pants before yanking Kaoru up into his arms.

"Come on Kitten. Let's get out of here." Settling her more firmly in his grasp, Battousai sighed and nuzzled his cheek lightly against her hair, "Sorry it took me so long to get here Kaoru-mine but this warehouse is in the middle of nowhere…That cat of yours helped though…" Kaoru frowned, confused,

"Cat?" Battousai nodded and shifted her so he could reach into his pocket and remove the stuffed animal. At the sight of it, Kaoru smiled and pulled it into her grasping fingers.

"I had nearly forgotten about this guy…he was my favourite stuffie when I was a kid. My parents got me him after…" she trailed off, "…after you had brought me home. They were so relieved to see me again…I thought they would have hated me but they had sent out search parties and everything even though I had only been gone…what, a couple of hours?" She stroked the fur between its ears thoughtfully, "It was the only thing that lasted the blast after y-y-you killed them…" Her voice hiccupped on the words and it was if she had a sudden epiphany and quickly tried to shove herself out of his arms.

"I didn't kill them Kaoru" His voice was low and even, the syllables curling in the air like physical objects. Kaoru glared at him,

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Anger rose up and he shoved her against the wall, pressing his body tight against hers.

"I will NEVER lie to you Kaoru." His voice was sharp now, still caressing but with an undertone of threat. Swallowing, Kaoru nodded and he sighed, lifting her back into his arms. They would have to discuss this later, preferably with Kaoru tucked into a warm bed next to him where he could keep an eye on her.

"Rest Kitten"

Nodding, Kaoru reluctantly rested her head against his chest, the removal of the spells having drained a majority of her energy.

'_What I wouldn't do for some good old plain water…' _The stray thought jarred in her mind and she quickly scrambled out of Battousai's surprised hold, dropping to the ground in a crouch as her legs gave out on her.

"Shura!" Confused, Battousai reached down to scoop her back up but the stubborn vampire squirmed back out of his grasp, slowly making her way back to pool, clutching at the wall for support.

"Princess" there was a tone of warning in his voice and she rolled her eyes, gesturing to the blue doors that led to the pool.

"Shura helped me out and Kanryuu got me to pour something into the pool when she was swimming. She might be hurt!" Growling lightly, Battousai slung Kaoru over his shoulder and stalked off to the pool, slamming the doors open with a simple mental shove.

Kaoru, startled by the sudden hard shoulder digging into her ribcage, snorted and wiggled off his shoulder until he carried her bridal style again. At least this way she was more comfortable…

The deep end of the pool was still completely red and opaque, ominously similar to blood. Still slightly angered by his vampire's unwillingness to go back to their castle and rest, Battousai simply waved the water to either side as he jumped down into the pool towards the unmoving figure at the bottom. A bubble of water surrounded her body and one finely arched eyebrow rose,

"Kitten, you've done it again…" Kaoru pouted and crossed her arms over her chest,

"What do you mean? _Done it again_!"

Battousai grinned, "You make the most interesting friends Kaoru-mine…" and settled her more firmly against his chest, reaching out with a temporarily free hand towards the bubble. The see-through shield immediately popped and Shura woke with a start, coughing up red tinged water.

"Damn it! That hurt!" Just noticing her company, Shura blushed a light blue and rubbed at the spiral designs on her arms self-consciously.

"Uh…hi?" Battousai snorted and Kaoru lightly hit him on the back of the head, glancing Shura over with a critical eye.

"Are you okay? Kanryuu told me that stuff could kill a thousand humans or a hundred vampires easily…" Shura coughed and Battousai chuckled,

"Kitten, this girl is a water sprite." Kaoru frowned,

"So? What's special about them?" This time both Shura and Battousai grinned,

"It means she is completely made of water…as long as water is around her, she will never die." He glanced over at the red coloured water around them, "Even her bones are made of continuously moving water so new water will just replace them if she ever broke one…" Kaoru's eyes lit up and she turned to glance in amazement at Shura,

"So when you swallowed the poison, the infected muscle and tissue and stuff like that was just switched with clean water!" At the girls nod, Battousai jumped back out of the pool, ignoring Kaoru's furious huff.

"We're going Kitten, say goodbye." Kaoru rolled her eyes but obediently waved to the lone figure standing in the middle of the pool,

"Goodb-" her farewell was cut off by their sudden disappearance into the shadows. When they appeared back in the courtyard of the castle, Kaoru turned her azure glare on the golden eyed vampire holding her.

"Nice, real nice Battousai" Battousai frowned and quickly strode into the castle, making his way with inhuman speed through the twisting passages.

"Don't call me that Kitten" Kaoru snorted and pulled away from his tensed form to glare more thoroughly at him,

"Call you what? Battousai?" He nodded and she sputtered indignantly, "FINE! I'll just call you bastard! Or maybe prick since you seem to like it s-" he quietly cut her off,

"Kenshin" Her gaze went from anger to confusion and she made no protest when he placed her on a giant feather bed.

"What?" Battousai carefully tugged off her boots,

"Kenshin. That's my name and I'd like to be called by it once in a while." Kaoru blinked as the blanket was pulled up to her chin and she hesitantly nodded,

"Sure…Kenshin…" Kenshin grinned and Kaoru quickly crossed her arms before stammering, "T-That doesn't mean I like you anymore than I did before!" Kenshin smirked,

"Of course not Princess, of course not…"

Kenshin sighed as he sank down next to Kaoru, the girl in mention already fast asleep after summarizing what had happened to her. He would have to get someone to investigate who had given Kanryuu and Misao the orbs to stay in the Shadow Realm…he pushed the multitude of thoughts from his mind and wrapped his arms around the comforting body next to him. Just as he had dimmed the lights and closed his eyes, the door slammed open startling both of the occupants of the bed awake.

"KaoruKaoruKaoru! You're alright!" Kaoru yawned and sat up, rubbing at her eyes,

"Misao?" The rambunctious girl nodded and jumped onto the bed, throwing her arms around Kaoru's neck.

"I was so worried and when I heard you were in the castle I had to check up on you 'cause I felt totally guilty but Aoshi, that icicle ass, told me not to interrupt you in case you were sleeping which I'm totally sorry for waking you up but I had to see you and make sure you were al…ri…ght…" by this time the endless rambler that was Misao had caught sight of the disgruntled red head sitting next to her best friend, "oh…you have erm…company…terribly sorry Kao and um…yea, excuse me Mr. Battousai…" Silently Misao crawled backwards off the bed, keeping her eyes trained on the red head that was currently getting attacked by Kaoru's glare of death, before scampering out of the room.

"What are you doing in my bed?" Kenshin grinned, fangs flashing smugly,

"Your bed? Think again Kitten…you're in MY bed." Eyes wide Kaoru glanced around in horror, finally realizing the splendour of the room and the family crest hanging arrogantly above the head board.

"oh…" Kenshin's grin grew even wider and he swung a leg over hers so he straddled her shocked form,

"Of course, we could always make it your bed as well…" A quiet cough came from the doorway and Kenshin turned his head to meet Aoshi's stoic gaze, "Report?" The vampire nodded and reached into his jacket to toss a small scroll to Kenshin,

"No leads so far on Kanryuu or the orbs but our mages detected something odd at the warehouse you went to. There was a collar outside what appears to be the main office and it was heavily warded with spells of the constricti-" Kenshin sighed impatiently and nodded,

"Yes, I know. Kitten here was wearing it." Aoshi's eyes darkened in a way that on most men would be nervous shuffling and Kenshin fell silent, quietly scanning the scroll as Kaoru tried to push him off of her.

"Get off of me you arrogant oaf! I need to get home and get a change of clothes and tell Megumi that I'm ok-" Kenshin cut her off with a single comment,

"You aren't leaving here Kitten" Azure eyes widened and narrowed into tiny slits of rage as she tried to shove him off again,

"Like HELL I'M NOT!" Her voice steadily grew in volume and Aoshi coughed to get her attention,

"When His Highness released the spells on the collar they were "tied" to his aura instead of the collar. However, since this was not his intention, the spells warped to meld with his aura and resulted in a temporary bond between the two of you. You cannot leave Kaoru until an undetermined amount has passed." Kaoru's mouth dropped open and her hands fell limply against Kenshin's chest,

"Undetermined?"

"The mages assured me that milord's aura will completely obliterate the corrupt spell by a certain time. Judging by the strength of milord's aura, it may only be a week or it may be many years. The particular way one of the spells was warped created something very similar to a marriage bond, and as such, most vampires would have had a life long bond, you are fortunate that it is only temporary." Kenshin growled a bit at the last sentence but glanced down at Kaoru to find she had seemingly fainted.

"Aoshi" The vampire straightened imperceptibly,

"Yes milord?"

"Go to the treasury and remove a generous purse for Kaoru. She and that Misao will have to make it comfortable for her in this realm. Allow the human girl to furnish her own suite with assistance from the maids." Aoshi nodded, but remained in the doorway, "Kaoru will need companionship of the female variety and I would think you would not mind the girl visiting…she will not be staying, of course, merely helping Kaoru get used to this realm again before the patrol" Aoshi nodded again and left. When the door closed, Kenshin sighed and lowered his body on top of Kaoru's, delighting the way her tiny form fit against his before rolling to the side and cradling her in his arms.

That was the way the maid found them in the morning. Unused to have his highness in bed after the Shadow realm version of noon, she had innocently opened the door to be greeted by the sight of her Lord and Master cosily entwined with a long legged female, his mouth resting at her pulse in the most obvious sign of claim, generally only instinct for married couples…which these two must be judging by the connection between their auras. A bright grin lit up the pale brunette's features and she happily shut the door and skipped off down the hallway, heading towards the best place to spread the news…Tea's Tavern and Tea House. Within an hour, everyone would know of their Lord's long anticipated marriage.

"That's her! That's the Queen!" At the murmur, Kaoru groaned and pressed her fingers against her temples. Annoying rumours had spread since her return and it seemed everyone in the Shadow Realm was talking about her supposed "marriage" to the King Battousai. After waking up, unnervingly comfortable in his grasp, it was not the way she wanted to start off the new day. Misao, bounding happily by her side, laughed and slung her arm around her friend's waist,

"Aww! Don't worry Kao, it'll eventually die down." Her grin became mischievous and she lightly nudged the vampire, "at least you're a queen eh?" Kaoru looked at her dryly and tugged on the dark blue gown Kenshin had forced her to wear.

"Oh yeah, just great!" She crossed her arms over her chest and turned to glare at the shorter girl, "He wrecked ALL of the clothes I had stockpiled here!" She pouted before a glint appeared in her eye. At the look, Misao grinned and linked her arm through her friend's elbow,

"Kao?" The taller vampire looked down, a similar evil grin growing on her lips,

"Yes Mi?"

"How would you like to go shopping?" Kaoru's grin grew as Misao continued, "I mean, we're female, and according to Ice-ass and Crazy-Bats, we are supposed to make our selves feel _comfortable_ and at _home_…" Kaoru snorted and looked around for a brief moment before nodding her head towards a nearby clothing store. The two girls smirked and practically ran into the store, hands reaching for the money purses on their belts. It was time to shop.

Two hours later, the two girls re-emerged from the properly ransacked store, their multiple bags tucked away in one of Kaoru's pocket dimensions. Misao yawned and stretched, relishing in the feel of cool silk whispering against her skin.

"Kkkkkkaaaaooooooruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Rolling her eyes at the younger woman's whine, Kaoru tugged happily on a leather glove,

"What?"

"I'm hungry! And Ice-ass and Mr. Batts told us to meet them somewhere didn't they?" Kaoru nodded, still joyously distracted by her new outfit and purchasing power.

"Yeah, at the Bloody Mary…"

"**A YEAR!" **

"Kao, calm down…" Kaoru turned to her diminutive friend,

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?" Furiously she turned to the smirking vampire, "You're lying, Aoshi! I know it! I can't be stuck here for a goddamn year!" Kenshin shrugged and glanced over at Aoshi. After a brief moment of silence, the quiet man nodded,

"It's true. The mages preformed a test while you ladies were out shopping. They assume somewhere between 10 to 14 months. The spell turned out to be amazingly resilient. You cannot be a realm apart without dying."

"And I will not let you die Kitten." Kenshin's crooning voice interjected and the vampire lord rose to his feet, grabbing Kaoru's wrist to drag her out of the tavern. "Aoshi, inform your human what is to come." Aoshi sighed and turned to meet Misao's fiery glare,

"Misao…."

Blinking at the sudden change in scenery, Kaoru glared at the man dragging her along and tried to wrench her hand out of his grasp.

"Let me go you bastard!" Kenshin shrugged and released her, watching in amusement as she stumbled into his chest from the momentum. Immediately, his arms wrapped around her and held her annoyingly close to his chest,

"Now, now Kitten. Play nice…" he smirked and buried his face into her hair, "after all, you're in MY world now." Kaoru rolled her eyes at his dramatics and slammed her heel onto his foot, grinned when the vampire winced.

"We'll have to talk about your choice of clothing Princess." He pushed her an arm's length away so he could look her over before continuing, "what happened to that dress you were wearing earlier?" Kaoru's lip stretched up into an evil grin and she dug in her pocket for a moment before pulling out a strip of blue fabric,

"I thought you'd like a memento." Kenshin stared at her flatly before shrugging and tucking her arm under his as they began walking again,

"Very well, I suppose you need some clothes for the patrol…" she stopped and looked at him,

"Patrol?" he nodded,

"Yes Kaoru-mine, patrol. Once every decade I have to travel around to the minor shadow states. It takes an entire year, two months to get between each state and a month visit at the capital with the residing lord or lady." Kaoru nodded and glanced up at the star studded sky,

"When do you leave?" Kenshin smirked,

"WE leave next week."

End of Ch.10.

How exciting no? I don't know WHY I was suddenly struck with the urge to finish this but I have to say this chapter was already half written when I found it today and I think you can probably tell the parts I had already outlined and written compared to the parts I scribbled out today. Originally, I had a totally different scene between Kenshin and Kanryuu but to tell the truth, I just wanted to wrap up the stupid little scene with Kanryuu. Oh! And WAIT! The annoying armbands that really had no purpose other than making Kaoru appear spineless and idiotic are GONE! Yay!

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I'm sure a lot of you had devilishly wicked comments but I thought my best apology would be to kick this chapter out ASAP. Chapter 11 WILL be out WAAAAY sooner than this one was. Hopefully :P


	11. Ch11 Magenta Musings

Disclaimer:

Kaoru's not mine

And neither is Kenshin

So all I can do

Is write up some tension

* * *

"_Patrol?" he nodded,_

"_Yes Kaoru-mine, patrol. Once every decade I have to travel around to the minor shadow states. It takes an entire year, two months to get between each state and a month visit at the capital with the residing lord or lady." Kaoru nodded and glanced up at the star studded sky, _

"_When do you leave?" Kenshin smirked,_

"_WE leave next week."

* * *

_

"MIIIIISAAAAAO, have you seen that purple bag? The one with the embroidery---" her words were cut off as said bag slammed into her face, "THANK YOU!" Another bag came sailing through the open door and landed with a thump on the ground, accompanied by Misao's exuberant form.

"I can't believe you get to travel around here! It looks so cooooool" Kaoru stared at her, expressionless until the energetic woman calmed,

"Cool? Hmmm, lemme think…" Kaoru pressed a questioning fingertip against her lips, "Uuuuuuuh, no." The vampiress roughly shoved both bags into the small leather pouch at her hip that lead to her dimensional pocket before continuing, "especially since you aren't coming. I mean, having to stay here with all the vamps? You'll have way more fun than I will…" Misao coughed lightly,

"Ummm, actually Kao…there's been a slight change of plans…" Kaoru glanced over in askance, "I'm…I'm not staying. In this realm, I mean. They're sending me back to our apartment right before you two leave…" Glancing hesitantly upwards, Misao gave a shaky smile when Kaoru's tense form met her gaze.

"What?" The taller girl's voice was soft and angry, the single syllable vibrating in the air. A rich baritone broke the terse silence,

"Kitten, we're going. Are you ready?"

The door opened an inch before it was viciously slammed against the wall behind it. Mildly startled, Kenshin's eyebrow rose and he looked at the growling vampire in front of him in confusion,

"You're sending her back there!?" A shrug was his reply and her mouth snapped open in anger, "SHE CAN'T GO BACK THERE! SHE WAS KIDNAPPED BATTOUSAI! K-I-D-N-A-P-P-E-D. KIDNAPPED!" A passing maid shot a curious look towards the arguing couple and quickly darted off, a hand pressed to her mouth at the thought of the mating going badly. Kenshin, watching the maid run away, quickly pushed Kaoru into the room, Misao managing to slip out seconds before the door slammed shut and a golden barrier lit up the walls, sealing the noise inside.

"You want to send Misao, MY BEST FRIEND, back to an obviously UNPROTECTED location ALONE!? You're obviously going SENILE Battousai!" Kenshin snarled and shoved her against the wall, his voice coming out as a low hiss,

"My _name_ is _**Kenshin**"_Kaoru sneered and shoved back, ineffectively trying to force him off of her,

"You're an _idiot, **Battousai"**_ Kenshin growled angrily, eyes alighting with red sparks as Kaoru's fingers tightened their grip on the front of his shirt. Silver clashed with Gold seconds before their lips met in a rough, bruising kiss, fangs extending to scrape against tongues and lips. Kaoru gasped, her eyes rolling back as a sudden wave of _feeling _ripped through her before Kenshin tilted her face up for another lip-bruising kiss. Kenshin pulled back for air and went for her neck, running his rough tongue along her collarbone before sinking his fangs onto his previous marks.

At the sharp pain that lanced through her neck, Kaoru was startled back to reality and she growled angrily, pulling at the crimson locks in her grip (how it got there was lost in the passion-filled haze that had consumed her moments ago) until Kenshin retracted his fangs. With a final swipe of his tongue against the bright red marks, the vampire lord straightened and met Kaoru's furious gaze.

"**_What was THAT!?"_** Kenshin shrugged lightly and licked his lips, revelling in the lingering taste of what could only be _Kaoru_ in his mouth. Rolling her eyes exasperated, the raven-haired vampire ducked under the muscled arm pining her against the wall and spun to sit on the bed, always facing the smirking vampire.

"I'm not letting you return Misao unless she is being properly protected by someone I trust is strong enough to stop anymore wanna-be blackmailers." Kenshin nodded and flung himself down into a leather chair with a casual elegance that made Kaoru want to stab him with something very sharp.

"Fine, let's make a deal Kitten." At the encouraging curiosity he saw in her aura, he continued, "If I assign a bodyguard to your little mortal, you will cease these rather annoying protests against…urges." Kaoru snorted,

"What urges? The one to kill you? 'cause I can murder you anytime you want me to!" Kenshin just stared at her silently until the mocking smile disappeared, "No, Battousai, I-I-I **_won't. _**I-I'm not agreeing to that." Silence "I'm not your little, your little **_whore_**." Silence

"Very well, what do you suggest?"

"Send someone with Misao and I will stay with you the entire year, without protest. If she is hurt, the deal is off." Kenshin was quiet for a moment before nodding,

"Agreed, however, one condition. Call me Kenshin." Rolling her eyes again, Kaoru nodded sharply.

"It's a deal…Kenshin."

"Aoshi. You will be accompanying the mortal. If she comes to harm, I will kill you. Understood?" Aoshi nodded ignoring the breathless sigh of desperation that came from the small woman behind him.

"What!?" Kaoru pulled Misao to the side so they could whisper quietly for a moment before returning to the men. The pout that made Aoshi's breath catch in his throat was gracing her lips and her arms were crossed stubbornly over her chest, her fierce glare focused on his unmoving form.

Breaking the silence, Misao huffed in disgust and threw her hands up to the ceiling, stomping angrily over to the sigil on the floor.

"Let's go and get this over with. See you in a year Kao!" Aoshi joined her on the seal and they disappeared in a blaze of golden light.

"Well, that was certainly anti-climactic…" At Kenshin's amused words, Kaoru spun and shoved him with a hand, the other propped on her hip.

"Shut up! I can't believe you sent Aoshi!" The infuriating shrug followed by the familiar smirk and an arm snaked its way over her shoulder, pulling her tight against his frame.

"Why not? I've gotten my woman, why shouldn't he get his?" Rage blossomed in her aura and she kneed him furiously in the groin, hissing

"God! Get a sense of decency, you prick!" before storming out of the room towards the horses prepared for them.

The next two weeks were tense but silent.

Kaoru had nary spoken a word and her silent anger had Kenshin's hackles rising in irritation. The out-spoken, violent, vampiress had disappeared behind a mask of forced courtesy, replaced by a silent, polite young _slave. _

Kaoru, for her own part, was happily revelling in the unspoken resentment that practically radiated off the vampire Lord. If he wanted unprotesting obedience, he was going to get unprotesting obedience. A calloused hand landed on her shoulder and she turned, keeping her eyes downcast, staring at his thigh. A growl vibrated in the air and the hand moved to her chin, jerking her head up to meet his amber gaze.

"You're trying my patience Kitten." Kaoru shrugged, eyes glancing to the side. Furious, he dismounted and dragged her off her horse, ignoring the servant's that quickly flocked to set up camp.

"You WILL listen to me Kaoru-mine, but you WILL talk." He tore himself away from her and began pacing the clearing, hands buried in his hair as he ranted to the air, "You aren't eating, you aren't talking, you aren't SLEEPING! All you do is SIT THERE!" From her perch on a moss covered stone, Kaoru rolled her eyes and promptly ignored him.

Glancing around at the site he had dragged them to, she swallowed heavily, the hairs on the back of her neck rising as her fangs extended instinctively. Eyes darting around as the air deepened, she carefully crouched down in front of the stone.

_Something _was coming.

A cool finger traced a line against the back of her neck and she swirled, throwing herself away from her rock. Kenshin glanced down at her and frowned,

"Kitten, what are y--" his unfinished question hung heavily in the air as the fog curled up around their ankles.

"_Kenshin" _The amber gaze sharpened and his pupils shrank into tiny pin-points, lost in the golden fire of his eyes. Kaoru swallowed and immediately regretted it as her mouth became dry. Carefully, silently, she sank down into a crouch, hair swirling out behind her as it clung to the thickening fog.

"_Kenshin…" _Silver eyes wide, Kaoru slowly returned to the protection of the rock, eyes still darting around to try catch a glance of the haunting voice.

"_KENSHIN!" _The unearthly roar ripped through the air, stirring the fog into a frenzied swirl. Cursing, Battousai dropped to a crouch, hands going to the sheath at his side as he watched the tornado pull in and focus on…

"KAORU!" Another scream erupted into the air and Battousai growled when he recognized Kaoru's agonized cry. The fog had condensed into a swirling grey mass that completely obscured the young vampire from view.

Suddenly, it was silent.

The wind was gone, the fog seemingly torn to shreds that lazily drifted away and Kaoru's shriek had been violently stopped.

"_Kenshin" _Swallowing, Kenshin rose to his feet, staring in disbelief at both Kaoru's limp form and the transparent image of the man standing in front of him.

"Master…"

* * *

Floating.

Kaoru had the strangest sensation that she was _floating. _

Puzzled, she tore her eyes opened and froze, a gasp ripping from her throat before her hands managed to stifle the noise.

It was Battousai. She paused and frowned, taking a closer look at the young boy in front of her. No. This wasn't the Battousai she knew, he seemed almost…impatient?

He was practically bouncing where he stood, glancing up at a small window every few seconds. The impatient snarl that tore from his throat was almost petulant and he quickly shook his head in frustration before pressing his hand to the door.

Kaoru frowned and tried to hover further back. There was something that was niggling at the back of her mind…Kenshin's disappearance through the door tore her attention away and she found herself unwillingly dragged along. When her translucent form was completely through the metal door, she froze.

It was her house.

Eyes wide, she tried desperately to grab onto the walls, digging her nails into the plaster to no avail.

She didn't want to see this!

She didn't want to see him kill her family!

Whimpering, she pressed her eyes shut but she could still see the events occurring on the backs of her eyelids. Sobbing, she reopened them and allowed herself to be dragged into the kitchen where her family would be eating dinner. Her mother, oh god! Her mother had brought her dinner earlier and cute little Ayame had given her back the tiny black stuffed kitten to make her feel better.

Biting her lip, Kaoru prepared herself to watch the massacre and tensed as he carefully slid the kitchen door open.

Time stopped and her world seemingly began to spin backwards.

They were dead…

But!

She swirled frantically around, trying to process this influx of information. Kenshin had --- he had killed them! He MUST have! She-She-She SAW HIM!!!

Panicking, she drifted down into a tiny corner of the room, eyes wide and blue as she watched him try and piece her family back together. The grunt he let out as her father's dead weight fell on him sounded as loud as a trumpet in the dead silence.

However, if that grunt had been a trumpet, Past-Kaoru's scream must have been an entire marching band.

"_Y-Y-You KILLED them! I had trusted you!"_

Screaming. Her voice scratching like fingernails on a blackboard as it rose in pitch.

"_GET OUT!"_

She watched dispassionately as the swirls of silver power began dancing around her. She still remembered that power, the all consuming flood of magic filling her veins. Past-Kenshin was flung against the wall but while Past-Kaoru couldn't tear her eyes off the dead corpses, Kaoru couldn't pry hers away from the younger form of the man she hated.

"_GET OUT" _

"GET OUT"

"GET OUT!!"

The house rose up and destroyed itself, all the scanners and specially made metal-alloy flying through the air as the magic turned against magic and hatred warred with trust. The wall ripped apart and as if some unseen hand had simply plucked him out of the sky, Kenshin was tossed like a ragdoll into the air, disappearing into…

She frowned, head tilting to the side…

…a silver star, hanging in the middle of the sky.

…before she was heaved into the air and thrown through the same portal. Lightly drifting down to the ground, she hovered over Kenshin's collapsed form, staring at him in a new light. A smirk graced his features but she could practically feel the heartbreak rippling off him, the mournful pleading of his soul tugging at hers ineffectively.

As he eyes began to close, the world began to tilt and she spun, eyes wide as the buildings and cobblestone roads were slowly engulfed in a dark shadow.

"KEN---"

* * *

"---SHIN!" Her eyes snapped open and she caught a quick glance of crimson and gold before muscled arms enveloped her in a tight embrace, red hair creating a scarlet web over her vision. The grip was loosened for a brief second as his lips fastened to hers, pressing tightly against hers as she was going to leave him forever. The passion-filled haze from the bedroom encounter (as Kaoru had taken to calling it in her head) returned and she returned the kiss with equal vigour, hands running over his shirt to drape behind his head. It was her, this time, who pulled back, her head falling heavily against his shoulder.

Kenshin whimpered, an amazingly cute sound for the feared vampire lord, and buried his face in her neck, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist as he nuzzled against her neck.

"Don't ever leave me again Kaoru!" Blinking Kaoru stuttered for a response and finally settled on silence, simply moving one of her hands up to press against the back of his head, the other still resting against his shoulder blade. A mocking laugh broke the silence,

"My idiot of a student, are you done yet?" Startled Kaoru's head spun to look at the man, no, _giant, _standing in the entryway of the tent. Kenshin sighed against her neck and broke from her embrace.

"What? I thought you could only stay in the living realm for a short time!" The giant guffawed again,

"You've gotten a backbone you moron, good for you."

"Master…what do you want?" The ghost smirked this time, one transparent hand playing with the sword at his waist,

"You've got trouble" Just as the last word rang out, screams began echoing through the air, panicked roars of shape shifters and the startling shrieks of the wraiths. Kenshin swore and darted through the rapidly disappearing ghost, Kaoru close on his heels as she chased him out of the tent…

* * *

"He failed"

"Miserably"

"…"

"He deserved it! That vile mortal worm…hmph, he isn't significant enough to lick my boot!.."

"Calm yourself, we shall see how this next one fares…"

"…And so self-absorbed! Master indeed! It was only because of your mercy that he lived… "

"He is a thing of the past. Focus. "

"…**_You_** are the **true** master."

* * *

…and disappeared into the fog.

* * *

I HAVE A LIVEJOURNAL NOW!!! REJOICE!!! All my reviewer responses are going to be up there, as well as any explanations I make about stuff in the story.

**SO GO THERE!!!**

****

Also up there are some more drabble-esque and just some random fanfiction (shorter and usually more abstract :P) focusing more on other series like…hmm…POTC and HP instead of RK.

The address is http:// arcane-fortunes. (take away the space) The link is also in my profile.

Thank you all for everything. All the reviews and all the stuff you guys said. YOU ROCK!


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